Welcome to a Whole New World
by Cole Tyger
Summary: continuing the adventures of Jura and Kaze, after they leave NMI to study in america at the NYC branch of DKA. the HEAT team is property of tristar, and Ginoa and the M-girls are property of their creators


Welcome to a Whole New World  
By Cole Tyger

"Hey Pop, what's up?" Ginoa asked as the original members of H.E.A.T. assemble on the roof of their H.Q. building, along with Ginoa's boyfriend and the teams' military go between John Cross, and her little sister Maddie. "I can't believe you need us all here just to meet a pair of new arrivals."

"Not that I mean any disrespect, sir, but I was halfway through a maintenance run on the 'Seeker's starboard engine." John said while whipping his hands on a rag.  
"And I was helping." Maddie nodded, mimicking the male Gino-morph as she to used a rag to clean her own hands.  
"As it stands now, if this is an emergency, the 'Seeker won't be ready for at least two hours," the Lt. adds.

"Don't worry John, there's no emergency," Ginoa's father and team leader Nick Tatopoulos responded calmly. "Besides, Ratchet and the other minis are still working on the problem, right?"

"Well yes, and I trust Ratchet completely, I'd just feel better if I was involved… so if you'd please excuse me," John replies, only to be cut off by the teams security specialist.  
"Non, you must learn to delegate. It is a skill you require much training in, and this is one of your first lessons," Monique Dupre smirks at him, her French accent taking any unintended sting out of the criticism.  
"Spy-chika's right my man, you need to trust the umpa-lumpas to handle it," the team's master hacker and expert in all things computer related grins, only to get an elbow in the gut from Monique for the old nickname.  
"Randy and Frenchy are right kiddo. Sometimes you just have to trust others to cover it for you," Elsie Chapman-Tatopoulos, Nick's recent wife, and longtime colleague adds.

"Dr. Craven, would you care to enlighten the impatient youths, since you where the one to take the call?" Nick smiles at the remaining member of the original team assembled to hunt the monster that was miss-identified during its initial rampage across the globe, ending with the evacuation and destruction of large portions of New York City.

Taking a moment to blow his nose, he starts while stuffing the hanky back in a pocket of his lab coat. "We are not just picking up new students; they are actually transferring in from the Japanese school. Additionally, one of them is going to be joining our lab team for some college credits, and because we could really use some more hands. The other is going to be YOUR problem, Mr. Cross, since she is a NMISDF reservist, and pilot. She is also bringing some serious technology with her," he informs them.

"Then why are we here instead of meeting them at the airport?" Maddie asks.  
"Because Mandy said that they would be coming directly here, not through Lagardia. I don't know any more than that," Craven finishes with a shrug.  
"I believe your remaining questions are about to answered," Monique adds, as a beeping from her palm pilot is echoed by the special cell phone on Johns belt.

"Cross, Monique, what've you got?" the head of HEAT demands as the teen quickly answers his cell, while the French woman stares at a miniature radar screen.

"Incoming, unless I am sorely mistaken," she tells the others.  
"White Sands radar says it's on a direct course for us, and currently decelerating from mach three," John adds, sounding worried.

Pulling a tiny set of binoculars from her belt, Monique looks in the proper direction for a few moments, before lowering them with a slight smile. "Now I understand why they were reluctant to share more information doctor. I believe you will enjoy a chance to do some investigative maintenance on this technology," she informs Craven. "Although where we are going to keep that monster is another matter."

"What is it?" Ginoa demands, her sharper hearing now able to pick up the thrusters and jet wash, but still unable to see the object.  
"IFF code just came through," John informs them. "It's friendly, but Monique is right, storage is going to be a problem."

"WHAT IS IT?" everyone else demands of the pair, as the object starts its descent, landing next to the building with a growling rumble, and a flexing of its titanic knees. After a moment of the lot of them staring at it in awe, the tiny craft mounted in the titans head undocks and proceeds to hover down to them, landing lightly on the roof.

"The Mazinkaiser," John deadpans ignoring the air-car as the canopy opens to display the pilot, and her rather cramped passenger. With eyes alight, he continues to stare up at the new and improved version of one of his childhood heroes. "It's the real thing! My god, he's so much cooler in real life!"

"Hi guys, miss us?" Mazin-Kaze, the human scale cyber doll modeled after the Mazinkaiser grins as she hops out of the Kaiser Pilder, and immediately turns to help her passenger untangle her legs and tail from the cramped space behind the pilots chair.

"It's a good thing I heal fast, or else I'd be crippled for life after that flight," the dark skinned Kaiju girl growls as she slowly straightens up, several cracks and pops sounding as she finally tosses her head back, settling her neon blue hair back off her face, before addressing the team in slightly broken English. "My apologies, but it's hard to be polite when you are that bent out of shape," she tells them with a small smile. "Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to stay, learn, and work here," she finishes with a formal bow and a twinkle in her golden eyes.

"Wow. Don't take this the wrong way, please, but when we were told that we would be getting a student helper, I was expecting either the Megalon girl or the Octopus girl. You didn't even hit my radar, Jura," Elsie remarks, stepping forward, and pulling the pair into a hug. "And that is because I never got the chance to thank you personally for keeping Ginoa in one piece during that final battle with the real Godzilla."

"I'd say it was nothing, but that would come off like an insult, and I don't want to do that," Kaze returns, metal rasping as she rubs the back of her head through her helm.  
"It was my pleasure to help keep her alive, but it was more along the lines of repaying a dept, since Johns arrival on the island and Ginoa's counter attack bought me the time needed to recharge myself enough to fight back effectively in the previous fight," Jura whispers, embarrassed by the display from the older woman.  
"I take it they will be staying in the dorms with the other girls?" Ginoa grins, nodding her own greeting to the pair.  
"That is what we had planned, unless there is a problem?" Kaze returns, her English sounding much smoother than Juras'.  
"Only with some of the girls," Maddie grins, thinking about how some of the other students of the American branch of Daikaiju Academy will react to the pair. Then she giggles over how she thinks any of the dust ups might turn out.  
"First things first, we need to get this monster out of sight, and then we can worry about getting our newest arrivals settled in," Nick breaks in, reminding them all about priorities and why he is still the one in charge after all this time.

"There are a few empty storage tanks over there," Monique points toward the remains of a refinery, "that are still structurally strong enough to hide it I believe. Can the wings be retracted like your own can?" she adds to Kaze.

"No, but the entire flight pack is removable. Does that help?" Kaze answers.  
"Oi, it does, the roofs on a few of them have caved in, so we can conceal the flight pack in any one of those with tarps and such. It's not ideal, but it will do for a few days," she returns.

"What's in the box," Randy asks, his over active and quite curios mind, locking onto the large storage container gripped in the hands of the huge robot.

"Our luggage, a maintenance center for Kaze, and a large amount of interesting technology that Ms. Mandy and Ms. Millena felt you'd need for the school here. There is also some special computer equipment so that Maddie can attend classes with the other Junior girls if she wishes," Jura tells them, hoping that her teachers haven't overstepped themselves by sending everything without asking if it was wanted beforehand.

"Oy, what the bleedin' 'ell is this thin' doin' 'ere?" Gidget, the cyborg Zilla girl and assistant security officer demands in a loud voice, as she leaves the dock area where she had been completing her assigned task of checking the HEAT Seekers hull for stress fractures, and that the hydrofoils are in good shape.

"Yeah, we need to put him away, before even more people notice," Maddie agrees.  
"Quickly, put the cargo down next to the building, and John and I will get you into the proper accommodations," Monique tells Kaze.  
"We don't want him showing up on the evening news," John adds already sprinting for the door, with Ginoa close behind.  
"Crap, I didn't even think of that," Kaze sputters, as she quickly dashes back to the cockpit of the Pilder. "Heads up Babe!" she adds, tossing a long object into the air toward the group as the canopy slides back into place, and jets ignite.

Jura merely holds out her hand out without looking, as the long bundle seems to swerve in mid air to slap squarely into her palm.

"I didn't know telekinesis was one of your powers," Nick remarks, not having missed the implications of that casual act.  
"It's not," Jura answers, a blush barely visible against her dark skin.  
"Then how?" Elsie asks, puzzled.  
"I can only do it with this," Jura tries to explain. "It has more to do with what it is made of, and how it was created. I have a link with it, and it lets me do things that I can't normally."  
"Since when does a Godzilla girl run around with a sword?" Maddie asks, crossing her arms at the strangeness of it.

"Madison! That was rude!" Elsie scolds. "You don't know that it IS a sword, and that is no way to ask a personal question."

"But she is right, and I don't mind. It reminds me of having Maizy around," Jura smiles to show there is no offence taken. "And this," she holds up the sheathed blade, "was a gift. Crystal created it from one of her crystals, and some of my blood, and Kumi provided the silk wrappings." Jura then draws the blade, showing the shimmering blue crystal sword, before removing her hand and letting the blade just float there for a moment.

"That is AWESOME!" Maddie cheers, as Jura makes the sword rotate around and then fly back into its scabbard without laying a finger on it.

"Thank you. It took me much practice to be able to control it like that," Jura smiles, remembering just how much work she had put in to learning how to use the blade, and how to control it with her mind.  
Further conversation is halted as everyone stares at the huge robots return to "life" with the return of its control module.

Kaze carefully sets the cargo container down next to the building as instructed before slowly walking the robot over to where the others are waving at her. It is the work of seconds for the Kaiser Scrander to unlock and take off, but a bit longer for Kaze to remote guide it into the chosen building. After that, she brings the huge machine down to its hands and knees, carefully tearing open one of the intact but empty storage tanks, before having the Mazinkaiser crawl in. By the time Kaze climbs out, and sets a security code, Ginoa has already begun pulling the new "doors" closed.

"Any of the other girls really good with the technical stuff around here?" Kaze asks as she pulls the other huge flap of torn metal closed.  
"Maddie plays computer games, Einstein the mini is a computer geek, and Gidget's a cyborg. Oh, and Yuki is a robot as well. And Dr. Craven is working on a humanoid shape for his next generation of NIGAL," Ginoa returns as they walk away from the tank.

"Ginoa! We will need three of the large storage tarps from the garage to complete covering the flight pack," Monique calls over as the pair enter the ruined tank

"C'mon, I'll start the tour after we're done," Ginoa smirks, as she leads Kaze off at a run.  
"Right behind you," Kaze grins, touching her choker and taking on the appearance of a human woman of Amazonian proportions.

"That a robot trick, or a personal one?" Ginoa asks, as she hands two of the bulky bundles to Kaze.  
"Let's just say, that there are some perks to being built, rather than born," Kaze returns cryptically.  
"That your way of saying you're not going to tell me?" the Zilla girl asks, as they head back.  
"Nah, but unless you can talk to Darcy, the seamstress who does all the K-girl clothing back on NMI, I don't think you can get them. She was the one who got them for us, but as far as I know, only my sisters and I have them," Kaze tells her.

"You might be surprised what we can get around here, but I get that you don't know where they initially came from. Good thing I know someone in the spy game," Ginoa grins at her companion. "She can probably identify it by serial number just by watching you use it."

"She's seen me use it before, back on NMI. When I dropped in looking for Einstein that one time," Kaze tells her.  
"What kept you?" Monique demands as the sounds of a helicopter reach them.  
"Get that ass in gear!" John yells, as Ginoa leaps up onto the nearest wing and starts spreading out her tarp, all the while giving her backside a little shake for her mate's benefit.

"Heads up!" Kaze answers, as she tosses one bundle up toward him, while tossing the last into the air while she transforms back to her Mazinger armor. She then deploys her own flight gear and flies up to catch the bundle and begins unfolding it as she flies along the wing, covering it much faster than the others have managed their areas.

"Get up there, and intercept them! It will be far easier to explain YOU than it will the real super robot!" Monique shouts.  
"You got it!" Kaze answers, jetting up and making a beeline for the helicopter crossing the river toward the area claimed by HEAT.  
"Ginoa, get outside and transform. Given them another reason to doubt reports of a giant robot. Let them think someone just saw you wandering around," the French woman further orders.  
"On it!" the monster girl responds, dashing out the door.  
"Nice plan. What do you have in mind for an encore?" John asks, as they finish draping the tarps and placing light pieces of rubble to hold them down.  
"What do you mean?" she asks, arching an eyebrow at him.  
"Well, odds are the chopper has Audrey and Animal onboard, and I doubt the students are going to buy your story any more than those two will," he returns.  
"If it is those two on the chopper, then I will let Nick handle them. As for the students," Monique answers, displaying an evil grin at the end, "they do not need an explanation from me. If they want answers, they can attempt to get them out of the new arrivals."

"…..You're still really pissed at Nina for those French cracks aren't you," the teen sighs, shaking his head. "And I bet you're just waiting for Daisy, knowing she's going to start something sooner or later,"

"I have no idea what you are referring to," Monique gave a sly smile, before returning to her normal expressionless look. "And I believe you are quite correct about Daisy. I believe she and Mondo are in for some rude surprises in the very near future."

"I hope some of that stuff they brought is a way to quickly repair buildings, 'cause this is going to get messy, I can just feel it," John mutters.  
"Agreed," she adds, as the pair head back toward the main building.

"Oi! Just who the 'ell are you two?" an aquatic lizard girl with a heavy Scottish accent demanded as Sonia led Jura and Kaze past her open doorway.

"Oh cool off Nina," the bat-girl snapped. "They're transferring in from NMI and will be taking some classes here with us, while at the same time, working with HEAT on post grad work."  
"Hi, I'm Jura, and this is Kaze. Nice to meet you," the Godzilla girl added her in her most polite voice and manner.  
"Yeah, whatever. I'm Nina, see you around," she tosses over her shoulder before slamming her door. "Bullocks…" she could still be herd complaining, "We finally get a school of our own and they can't help but butt-in…"  
"Boy, is everyone around here hostile when they first meet new comers?" Kaze asks, once again appearing human.  
"Don't mind her too much, the girls who didn't come here from Isle del Diablo are still a little hard for me to understand too," Sonia tells them, slightly embarrassed by Nina's behavior.

"Hey Sonia, have you seen-NEW PEOPLE!" a large, light blue and tan worm girl cries out as she bulldozes her way past Sonia and pulls the pair into a bear hug, smooshing them into her ample chest as she picked them off the ground.

"…oh god…" Jura squeeked as the air was crushed from her lungs.  
"It's like she's your very own version of Zuki," Kaze smirks at Sonia.  
"I'm Nita, glad to meet you both!" the girl enthuses as she released them.  
"Nita, you were going to ask me something?" Sonia asks her, arching an eyebrow like she's seen others do.  
"Oh, I was looking for Draga. Madison wanted me to try to get her interested in a few things," Nita responds.  
"Haven't seen her today, sorry," the once giant bat gave a shrug.  
"Bummer, oh well, it was nice meeting you girls, but I've got someone to find! We'll talk again later!" Nita called back as she steamed off down the hall on a mission of her own.

"Definitely friendlier than the last one," Kaze remarks.  
"As I told you, we aren't all as rude as some of them," Sonia smiles back.  
"With people like you and Nita around, it won't take long to settle in, I don't think," Jura smiles at the bat girl.  
"Glad you count me as a friend already," the bat grinned back. "And here is your dorm room."

With that, the batgirl pushed open a door, to display a common room only a few feet smaller than their entire room back in Nagai Mansion on NMI. "To the left you have the bathroom with your very own tub/shower… you no longer need to share with the rest of the dorm. Also to the left but toward the back, is your bedroom Jura." Turning to her right, Sonia gave a wave. "Over here you have a small open kitchen and your room Kaze."

"Are all the dorms this large?" Jura asks, surprised.

"Well, since the school itself isn't finished yet, this isn't more than a temporary dorm building. I think they were planning to reserve these larger rooms for upper classmen, or teachers who want to live here. But until then, we all get the larger rooms," Sonia grins as she moves out of the way, letting the newcomers into their room. "You will also be glad to know, that the dorm has a delivery guy, any groceries, food, or personal items you need, you can order and have it delivered to your door… though there is an on campus store as well."

"Geez, we need to get Lara to transfer over here. It's only a few minutes flight time from where Coop lives, if I remember right," Jura tells Kaze while, looking out the window.  
"Will I be allowed to have the repair cradle here, or will it need to be put someplace else?" Kaze asks.  
"I don't know," Sonia answers with a shrug. "I was just asked to show you to the room."  
"Well, I can bring most of the luggage straight up, using the window," Kaze grins.  
"I'll leave you two to get settled then. Oh, if you have trouble finding your way around, you should be okay in asking the others. Just watch out for one of the turtle girls, she's so shy you will probably scare her into running away from you." Sonia tells them, showing herself out. "And the one named Daisy. She's…unpredictable, to say the least."  
"Thank you again," Jura tells her, as she vanishes back around the corner.  
"Oh, and one more thing," she adds, leaning back in and giving them a wink. "The bedrooms are sound proof…"

Later:

"This is astounding. I've always wanted a chance to examine some of the super robots that the Japanese have built over the years, but I never expected to ever have a chance at one of the cutting edge ones. It's amazing!" Craven enthuses as he crawls back and forth over the prone form of the Mazinkaiser in its make-shift hanger.  
"The things I can learn, and incorporate into NIGAL…" he trails off, standing atop the mech's chest plate.

"Yes doctor, but how do you really feel?" Yuki, the robo-yeti robot, security, and Mendel's' lab assistant quips from the ground near the machines huge hand.  
"What's love got to do with it, got to do with it? What's love, but a second hand emotion?" NIGAL spouts off in a credible impersonation of Tina Turner, showing that Randy has been hacking the robots vocal programs again.  
"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Craven sputters, while Yuki smothers a giggle.  
"Hey Doc, carful up there. We haven't exactly had the chance to fix the place up yet," Kaze remarks from the torn doors.  
"I know, it took me a while to find a ladder long enough to get up here," he grumbles back down at her.  
"Well, once we get everything unpacked, I plan to use one of the construction gizmos to turn this into a real hanger for him," she adds, walking toward them. "Including a retractable roof."  
"Some lights would be a big plus," Craven adds, adjusting one of the three portable spotlights he had lugged up onto the mechs chest.  
"So would a gantry for repairs and inspections," Yuki remarks, her optics glued to the doctor as he gets nearer the edge of the red crest he's using to work from.

"With an elevatORRRR" he cries out, taking one step too many, and began the long fall to the ground.  
Which, luckily for him, is interrupted as he is snatched from mid air by a black, silver and red rocket.

"Now didn't I tell you to watch your step up there," Kaze grins as she lands, and gently places him on his feet.  
"Thanks. I think I'm done for today," he mutters, as Yuki moves forward to steady him.  
"Can you take me high enough?" NIGAL sings, irritating Craven that last little bit.  
"C'mon NIGAL, time to flush that program out of you," he orders as he starts for the doors.

"One step forward, two steps back," is the last they hear from the little yellow robot as they leave the makeshift hanger.

"Thank you for saving him," Yuki tells Kaze, offering her a respectful bow.  
"It's what I was built for. At least one of the things I was built for," she amends, bowing back.

Yuki cocks her head at an angle and gives her a curious look at that.

"Never mind. Not important," Kaze quickly adds, not sure how much of her, and her families, history she should share right away.  
"Alright, if you say so," the robo-yeti girl returns, looking doubtful.  
"I do. So where do all the students eat? I know they can't order takeout all the time," Kaze changes the subject. "And I know not everyone knows how to cook."  
"Come, and I will show you," Yuki tells her, waving for her to follow.

DKA-NY's commissary. One of the first buildings for the new school to be completed immediately (besides the initial dorms and the infirmary), mainly because it was obvious to all that it would not be feasible to feed the growing ranks of the students on fast food, or other local sources… Though McDonalds, Taco-bell, and Sub-Way had all placed requests for the limited space of the food court wing that was being added onto the commissary.

"Cheese burger, tator tots, orange jello, and chocolate milk. That will be $6.74," the lady at the register tells Jura as she slides her tray down the counter.  
"I hope I have this right," Jura smiles as she hands over what she thinks is the proper amount.  
"New to the country, eh?" the woman asks as she counts the money.  
"Yes, we just arrived today," Jura confirms.  
"Oh, you where on that thing that landed next to the HEAT building. Hell of a way to travel," she smiles as she hands back a few coins. "And you gave me a little too much. Better work on your money skills, or some of the shop keepers in this town will rob you blind," she adds.  
"Thank you," Jura tells her, her cheeks burning in embarrassment.

Taking her food to an empty table, Jura surveyed the others in the large dining room, noting all the 'morphs that she can't identify as belonging to any of the Daikaiju that she is familiar with.

"They must be more of the mutation girls," she thought as she tore into her food, marveling at the new flavors. "MMmm. I think I like these potatoes. More flavorful than rice."

She was just starting on her jello when a clawed hand slams down on the table.

"You took the last orange jello. EVERYONE knows that the orange is MINE," the m-girl attached to the claw snarls at her.  
"My apologies, but I wasn't informed," Jura returns, having flashbacks to her first days on NMI.

The girl didn't bother to continue the conversation, instead lashing out with her other hand in a vicious backhanded slap that knocked Jura out of her chair and some distance across the floor. Luckily, Kaze and Yuki enter, just as Jura was picking herself up off the floor.

"Oh dear, Daisy has for some reason decided to assault your friend," Yuki said as she started forward, only to be blocked by Kaze's arm.  
"Let her handle it." Kaze sighed. "We've been through this kind of crap before."

"Ragh!" Daisy snarls as she delivers one clawed slap after another to Jura's face, snapping her head back and forth with the force of the blows, and drawing blood. When the new-be just stands there, taking everything the other girl can dish out, without even rocking backward, Daisy decides to up the ante on the damage, and ducks low to deliver a punishing shot between the other girls legs.

Only to be stopped short as Jura latches onto her wrist.

Daisy looked up in surprise, and gets her first taste who she is messing with. Flames dancing in her eyes, Jura lifts Daisy by her captured wrist, until she was dangling from it, just high enough off the floor to not have any leverage.

Shocked by the casual display of strength, Daisy none the less attempts to rocket a right cross into Jura's jaw.  
Jura takes the shot, then snarls, "I hope you have worked this foolishness out of your system, because I am beginning to tire of humoring you."

"What are you?" Daisy snarls, as she begins kicking. Jura shifts her around so she misses, then throws her into the nearest wall.

Stalking over to her, while the rest of the students give her plenty of room, Jura growls, "I am someone who is much stronger than you, and obviously capable of taking far more damage than the others you have been abusing. If you ever raise a hand to me, or anyone else in my presence, I will give you a demonstration of what a blast of pure radiation can do to you, and IF you survive it, you will be dragging your smoking tail to the nurse for some fairly serious healing. Now get out of my sight."

And with that she stood, wiping the blood off her face, and turned to leave, her expression brightening when she spots Kaze. Only to have her head slammed from behind by a chair. "You where warned…" Jura growled as the plates along her back began to glow.

"That is quite enough of that!" Monique yells as she moves around the pair in the doorway.

"Like hell it is!" Daisy snarls as she makes to tackle Jura, only to meet Monique's foot as she completes a spin kick that drops the M-girl.

"I trust I won't be forced to give you the same," she asked over her shoulder.  
"I was merely defending myself. I have no wish to continue the altercation," Jura replies.  
"Good. Yuki? Would you please take Daisy to the medical lab, and have her examined? She came very close to getting a dose of atom fire to the face," the French ex-spy ordered.

"Of course," the Robo-yeti nodded, quickly scooping the girl up, and slinging her over her shoulder for the trip.

"Anything you want me to do?" Kaze asks as Yuki leaves with her task in hand.  
"Yes. You two need to go report to Nick. I believe he has your assignments for while you are here, as far as job related duties are concerned," she replies.  
"Is it alright if I go change first? I don't want to show up with my clothes all bloody," Jura explains.  
"That will be fine. I should have asked this sooner, but you are not hurt are you?" Monique asks.  
"No, the cuts healed almost as quickly as she made them. This is just splatter," Jura grins sheepishly.  
"Very well, go get yourself cleaned up, and then you know where to go," Monique dismissed them.

"So, how goes the experiment?" a seductive voice inquires out of the darkness.

"See for yourself, Commander," a lab coated technician answers as he activated the floodlights overhanging one of the nearby chambers.

A huge slit pupiled eye surrounded by a ridge of bone, dilates though the bright lights, and focuses on those who created it. With an unholy rumble the thing sank below their line of sight, bringing softly glowing blue crystal into view. "Its growth is astounding. It has exceeded all expectations so far," the Commander announced, stepping into the light. Her crimson armor and golden helm reflect the light as she moved to the viewing port to get a better look at her latest experimental creature.

"Yes Ma'am. The offensive capabilities have yet to be tested for obvious reasons, but its ability to feed on radiation and quickly regenerate damage have been proven," the tech adds.  
"Very well. I'm having one of our tankers specially prepared to house it. Make it ready for deployment. I plan to use it to distract the enemy forces while I collect a few lost items," she orders.  
"As you command," the tech answers. "The drug cocktail created by Spyra is effective, but only for a limited time. I suggest not transporting the beast until after nightfall, to limit its ability to absorb radiation. It will slow its regeneration ability to flush the drugs from its system."  
"I'll take that under advisement," she tosses over her shoulder as she struts from the area.

~~~~~

"You where actually going to use a radioactive blast in the commons?" Nick asked, his voice a study in shocked disbelief.

"She refused to let it go, even after discovering how much stronger I am, and how quickly I heal," Jura explains. "I didn't see any other option but to drive the point home with more force, and that option had the least chance of inadvertently involving anyone else in the fight."

"Except you're not factoring in the damage exposure to your unleashed radiation could do to the humans present in the room. You, and most of the others here now may be nearly immune to the background effects when you use those powers, but people like Mrs. Stawanski, the lady at the lunch register, are not. Unless you like the idea of giving innocent people radiation poisoning, you will keep your powers under wraps unless it is a dire emergency where that kind of thing is needed. Are we clear on this…" he demanded, his voice maintaining its hard edge throughout the speech.

"Sir, that is hardly-" Kaze spoke up, only to be cut off by Jura putting her hand over the robots mouth.  
"I understand, and I'm sorry that I didn't take the regular humans into account. It didn't occur to me that you don't have healers like the Mothra clan here to help offset that kind of thing. I'll keep my powers under tighter rein from now on," Jura answered, her voice trembling slightly.

"Thank you." With a sigh, Nick returned to his normally softer tone. "I'm sorry if I sounded harsh, but I wanted to impress on you just how dangerous your powers can be to those who have had no exposure at all to true Daikaiju. Radiation poisoning affects people every time Godzilla appears over there, but the numbers are far lower than I would expect, given what he is. Personally, I believe that the people in the area that defines his "territory" have developed a higher tolerance for radiation than the rest of us, due to his presence," he adds.

"That would explain why the human students on NMI don't keel over every time there's a k-brawl," Kaze says thoughtfully.  
"Yes, part of my reasoning as well," Nick agrees, giving Jura a chance to recover.  
"Alright, Ms. Dupre said that you had job assignments for us?" Jura asks, her voice only displaying the barest hint of the shakiness of her last comment.  
"Yes. Kaze, you will assist Monique with security matters, as well as helping John out with maintenance and repairs," Nick tells her. "I'm assuming that you are one of the strongest people here, so that is why you get the heavy lifting."  
"Not a problem. Heavy lifting I can do," she smiles back.  
"Then I'm done with you for now, go find Monique and see what she has for you. I have a lot more questions for Jura, since she's going to be working in the labs with us science geeks," he smirked, attempting to lighten the mood somewhat after tearing into the K-girl.

"Okay," Kaze answers, not getting up to leave until Jura gives her a nod.

"You two are close I take it," Nick smiles gently.  
"Very. I live with her, in her family's home, back on NMI. The Mazinger sisters are all the family I have, and Kaze….She's ….." she trails off, having trouble finding the right English for what she wanted to say.  
"She is to you, what John is to Ginoa," Nick asked, already knowing the answer.  
"Yes," she nodded.  
"I understand, and will try to take that into account when making assignments. I'll also pass it on to her bosses as well," he adds.  
"Thank you, sir." she smiles gratefully.

"Now then, back to business. What do you plan to do after you are done with your education?" he asked.  
"I wish to be a Kaijuologist," she returned. "There are only a handful back home who study them… and us… and that is mostly for military purposes for fighting them off."  
"That is a tall order. Why are you here, rather than studying under them? I assume that Millena is one of the few who do NOT research them for strictly military purposes," he arched an eyebrow in question.

"Your work with the mutations," she answered simply. "You go out of your way to subdue, not attempt to kill them. You are constantly looking for the how and the why when it comes to their origins, and behavior. And you are the best monster hunters in the world. Not even the JSDF has a better record for locating and subduing them."

"Alright, so what do you bring to the team? What is in your current education that can help us, right off the bat?" he asked, curious as to just how prepared she was for this.

"Well, I'm one of the best in the biology classes from Ms. Millena, I can speak Japanese better than anyone other than Yuki or Kaze, I'm above average in Math, and I've been told that my comprehension and retention is higher than normal for anything that I read," she listed off the points. "Thanks to my family I'm a fair hand with a computer, as well as knowing basic robotics repair. Then there are my natural abilities."

Nick had to focus on keep his face expressionless, given what he'd been told. "I see. What did you bring with you, besides the sword?" he questioned, wondering how well she had planned for what she'd need as a lab assistant.  
"Several sets of clothes, including some specially designed for field work. My laptop, which is specially designed for me, thanks to the Mazingers. A music player, and my collection of DVDs," she replied.  
"What is your computer's capabilities?" Nick inquired, wanting to make sure it was capable of keeping up with a monster hunt.

"New Z Alloy casing, lead lined and hardened against EMP and radiation, six terabytes of onboard memory, palm scanner, integrated camera, HD screen(17 inch), Holoprojectors for display purposes, the casing has a built in compartment for a wireless mouse, and SatCom uplink capacity. Maizy and Zoe went all out when it came to packing it with everything they could think of, and still have it small enough to fit into a regular laptop bag," she smiled, for she absolutely adored the lap-top.

Nicks jaw dropped upon hearing this, and then his sharp mind clicked, "Don't let Randy find out you have that until after I've talk to him."

"What? Is it not enough?" she blinked, looking downcast.  
"Jura, your laptop is quite possibly the most powerful dedicated computer on the east coast. What kind of processor does it have?" he asked while trying to stay calm himself.  
"It doesn't really have a name," she told him. "Maizy used a few spare processors she had laying around, the same kind that are used in Cyber Doll Brains."  
Nicks eyes bug out at that little revelation. "You said it has a palm scanner. That is a security device, correct?" he asked.  
"Yes. Maizy wanted to make sure that I was the only one who could use it," Jura reassured him.

"Thank God. From now on, NEVER leave that thing where anyone else can tamper with it. I don't want to think about the trouble Randy can cause if he can get past the protection," Nick explained, while secretly wondering if Maizy would be willing to build Heat a new mainframe. "Okay, starting tomorrow you will be assisting in the lab. To start with, you get the crappy jobs, such as cleaning the equipment, getting things for us, that kind of thing. Once you know your way around, and have proven yourself with a few assignments, we will move you up to more important work."

"That seems fair," Jura agrees.

"One last thing. Since you're going to be working here, you will need a security pass code. Find Monique, and tell her that you are going to be starting in the lab tomorrow. She will see to getting you a code for the alarm system," Nick tells her.  
"Thank you," Jura returns, standing up and bowing to him before leaving.  
"Now for some pre-emptive damage control," Nick muttered, reaching for the intercom. "Randy, I need to see you in my office." 

"Hey! Anyone alive in here?" Kaze called out after entering the school's garage and finding it seemingly deserted.

"YO! Down here. Under the Humvee," came a reply from beneath one of the two pieces of U.S. Army surplus among the odd assortment of vehicles (the other being a Deuce-and-half (2 ½ ton) heavy truck).

"Wait, you're the one keeping all this stuff running?" Kaze asked, bewildered to find at least ten different cars, trucks, and a few busses parked around the building.  
"Yeah, since I was already in charge of HEAT's motor-pool," John answered, giving the bolt on the muffler clamp he was installing, one last tug before slipping the wrench off, and sliding out from under the vehicle. "Anyhow, the others started asking me to work on their vehicles as well… Now I'm pretty much the head of the maintenance department."  
"Looks like you're also the entire maintenance department," Kaze grins as he sits up on the 6 wheeled creeper.  
"Nah, just the only "Full Time" one. And that's not even accurate, since I still have army stuff to deal with and my collage stuff to boot," he smirks. "I have at least three regular helpers, besides Maddy and Ratchet, but they mostly just follow directions."  
"Well, bump that up one more," Kaze returns, offering him a hand up. "'Cording to the boss, when Monique doesn't need my talents, I'm supposed to help you out with keeping things running, and heavy lifting."  
"Cool, so how much do you know about engines?" John asked while brushing his hands off on his coveralls.

"Anything that DOSEN'T run on a Photon Power Core? Damn little," she gave a shrug. "But give me a few hours, and I can download specs for just about anything you think we might need to work on."

"Okay, that is a handy trick. Let me get with our security specialist, AKA the scary French lady, and we'll figure out what the best things to have you download." He says as he turns to look at the crowded garage. "But for now, just grab what you can for information on the vehicles in here. Until something goes on one of these beasts, I can't teach you how to identify trouble by sound or feel for what might be wrong. When it comes to this stuff, no amount of book learning can teach some things. It's as much of an art, as it is a science."

"Ooh Johnnie… Time to inspect your 'Torque Rod' ," Ginoa calls as she enters the garage. Yet as she came around one of the larger trucks, she is greeted by a smirking Kaze, and John with his face burning red.

"That's a new one. I'll have to remember to tell my sisters about that name for it," Kaze grins.

"…Oh, I'm sorry! Hope I'm not interrupting anything," the Gino-morph says as she takes a moment to lean against the Hummer.  
"Nothing more than another mechanics helper introducing herself," Kaze explained.  
"Damn, that means this isn't a GINO only play zone any more…." The lizard girl pouts at her boyfriend.  
"Blame your dad, he's the one who assigned her," John pointed out, pulling her into a hug and jumping slightly when she took the opportunity to grab a double handful of his ass.  
"Alright, you're off the hook this time, but no playing games with the sex bot," she warns. "Unless I get to play to."  
"Not to worry, I already have a Godzilla of my own," Kaze smirked, trying hard not to laugh. "Maybe I should get going, unless you need me for anything else?"  
"Nah, take stock of the vehicles we have in here, and we'll go from there," John told her, before giving in to Ginoa's needs as she led him away.

'I need to make this fast,' Kaze thought as she quickly made her way through the vehicles, finding manufacturers tags and other data labels, before making her escape. "Hope they are having fun," she grins as she exited the building, planning to find Jura.

~~~Meanwhile~~~

"Hello Dr. Chapman. I was told that you would be my first task master," Jura announced as she entered the bio-lab, and discovered the red haired scientist staring into a microscope.

"I get first dibs on you, huh? Okay, I'll go easy on you. There is a pile of petrie dishes and test tubes over by the far wall on the counter. Load them into the sterilizer, and turn it on. Turn the knob on the door to one hour, and hit the start button," Elsie tells her. "It's really just a glorified dish washer, but you don't need soap."

"That seems simple enough," Jura nodded to her, being careful to not slap anything with the large shoulder bag she had hanging at her hip.  
"What's with the super size purse?" Elsie asked, a wry look on her face when she finally looked up from the microscope.  
"It's my computer bag," Jura answered with a smile. "Dr. Tatopoulos told me to keep an eye on it at all times, so here it is."  
"Why would Nicky tell you to keep it on hand all the time?" she wondered aloud.  
"He seemed worried when I told him about it, and was afraid of what Mr. Hernandez would do if he managed to get into it," Jura replied.  
"If he's worried about what Randy can do with it, then I guess it's alright. You're going to need it when you start real lab work anyway," Elsie says. "Pull it out here and let's see what you've got. I'm not as into them as Randy and Mendal, but I like to see other peoples toys."  
"Alright," Jura agreed, pulling the black enameled block of metal from her bag.  
"How much does that monster weigh?" Elsie blinked, holding her hands out for it.  
"A fair amount, since it has a metal casing, and the lead lining," Jura said, making sure that the older woman had a grip with both hands before releasing the computer.

"Whoa, that is some heavy duty hardware there kiddo," Elsie gasped in shock as the sudden weight nearly made her drop it.

"I haven't noticed it, to be honest," Jura tells her, watching as Elsie gently placed the computer on the lab table. "Let me start it up for you, and then I'll begin what you've assigned me," Jura grins, placing her right palm in the center of the smooth black finish. After a moment, there was an audible click as the latches disengaged, and a small hologram of Godzilla appears above the casing, roaring, while the words, "Access granted. Welcome back Jura." Scroll over his head.

"Nicky is right. Randy would kill to have something like this," Elsie whispered when she opened the top panel to find a standard computer arraignment, complete with keys in English. "I would have thought it would be set up in Japanese though."  
"That was Zoe's idea," Jura answered after crossing over to the sterilizer. "She figured that if I was forced to use it all the time, I would become more fluent in English."  
"Well, that seems to have worked, because your English is quite good for someone who has never been away from NMI for any length of time," Elsie compliments.  
"Thank you. I've also had some help from some friends online."  
"Oh…" Elsie grinned at her. "Got a long distance boyfriend?"  
"Why would I need that, when I have a live in girlfriend?" Jura smirked back.

"Oh, that's right, I forgot that most of you k-girls swing both ways," Elsie sighed, gently slapping herself in the forehead with the heel of her hand.

"Swing?" Jura asks, not understanding.  
"…oh, when I say it like that, it means you like girls," Elsie answered after a moment.  
"Ah. Yes, I do "swing" that way then."  
"So who has been helping you on line?" Elsie asked.  
"The people who I play my online game with," Jura answered.  
"What game is that?" the red-head inquired. "I know Madison would play "World of Warcraft" constantly if I didn't limit her to a few hours at a time."  
"I play Perfect World," Jura said as she packed the chrome plated steam cleaner.  
"I don't believe I've heard of that one," Elsie blinked after thinking for a bit.

"Well, the full name of the version I'm playing is Perfect World International. From what I've found, it's based on Chinese legend. There are three races, Humans, Winged Elves, and the Untamed. Each race has two job classes available to it. There are all kinds of things to do and get in the game. They even had a song written about it. The video splices in footage from the game itself," Jura tells her, closing the lid on the Sterilizer.

"How many of the K-girls are into these online games?" Elsie asked.  
"There are a bunch of them that play WoW together," Jura said with a shrug. " Kaze and I tried it out on a free trial, but we didn't much like it. If you can surround yourself with friends it's one thing, but going it alone, you have to put up with too many Baka."  
"I can imagine. And your game is different?" Else continues to question, learning more about online games in the last few minutes than she ever had from asking things of her daughter.  
"Not so much in that respect, it's full of Baka too," Jura shrugged again. "But Kaze and I link up into our own party, and turn the world chat off, so that we just have what we are doing in the widows. Since we are usually in the same room, we don't need the chat, but when we join with others, it's needed so that we are all on the same page."  
"Does Kaze have a computer too? Or does she just play in her head?" Else wondered, given that Kaze is a robot.

"A little of both. She hardly ever logs out of the game, but that is because she sets up a shop and sells items when she isn't actively playing. She lets her laptop keep her logged in, since she can remote terminal it, but she only really uses it to play when we are online together." she admits, pride in her voice when she tells of Kaze's work. "She makes enough in game money that she keeps buying me all kinds of things from the cash shop. We haven't spent a single real Yen on the game, but both of our characters have enough special stuff from the cash shop that it looks like we've spent thousands."

"Thank you for all this information. Last question. How much does it cost to play?" Elsie asks.  
"It's free. They support it by selling items in their cash shop. As long as your system can support the game, and you have internet access, it costs nothing to play, except time," answered Jura.  
"Really," Elsie replied, surprised. "I'd think they would be bigger than World of Warcraft with that kind of planning."  
"They probably would be, but WoW was out first," sighed the Godzilla girl. "The people who have high level characters, don't want to give them up to start a new game. Too big an investment."  
"Gotcha. Well, if you're done, let's get out of here. Nick and I have plans for tonight," Elsie announced, as she stood up and waited for Jura to pack her computer back up.  
"I hope things go well," Jura tells her with a grin.  
"Oh, I think you can count on it," the older woman smiled with a knowing look.

~~~ some time later~~~

"Randy, do the girls still bring their PC's to you to de-bug?" Elsie asked their resident computer genius during his pizza brake.  
"Kinda, they have me making house calls now, why… whatcha need?"  
"I was just curious about some of the programs the girls might have," the red-head said between bites.  
"What kind of programs?" he paused to think about this one. "'Cause they usually ask me to check sites to see if they're safe before they download anything anymore. At least if it's not on the list of safe stuff I gave to Doc Tucker to pass along to them."  
"It's an online game. Jura was telling me about it, and if they didn't know about it yet, I was going to have you add it to safe list after checking it over," she explained.

"None of them are playing WoW, if that's what you're wondering," Randy replied while fishing out a large slice. "Once Maddie spilled the beans that a bunch of K-girls play it, our bunch refuse to have anything to do with it. Other than checking out the WoW porn," he grinned with a wink. "They are all on one called perfect….something or other. At least the ones who are into the online RPGs are. One of them found a link on some web comic or something. I don't remember who or just when, but it all checked out clean, so I gave them the green light," he finally finished.

"Think you could get me a list of who's on what and the names of the sites," she asked. "What little I've gotten out of Maddie and her game tells me that there are different things running the same stuff. I'm assuming our bunch are all on the same one."  
"Yeah, those games have to have different servers, just to handle the kind of traffic they generate," Randy agreed. "So you want to know who's playing, and what server they are on?"  
"And their names in the game, if you can do it. Be nice if Jura and Kaze could break the ice with some of them that way, instead of another throw down like with Daisy," Elsie admits.

"Gotcha. Nice plan Doctor C." he grinned, turning back to his computer set up. "I'll deliver the note with the stuff to her later. It will give me the chance to see the already infamous 'Laptop I'm not allowed to touch'," he scowled as he looked up at the redhead. "Is my rep really that bad around here?" he asked.

"No, I think it's more along the lines of once you start playing, you won't realize just what you've done until it's too late to undo it," she smiled at him.  
"I don't get that carried away," he protested quickly.  
"Riiight," Elsie grinned, leaving the hacker to his tasks. 

***************  
Game: Perfect World International  
Server: Sanctuary  
Players: (that's for you all to figure out)

SerpentQueen: any idea what hackerman was really after?  
This from a cute girl with backswept antler like horns and a circular weapon in her hand.

BeautifulKlr: No clue, but he was acting weirder than normal  
A woman with wings on her head and angel like wings on her back adds as she hovers above the others.

LadiesMan_NY: Ladies, why sweat it, when we can spend time together?  
LadiesMan_NY: although I would prefer to do it in person  
A man, with a bow adds, clearly of the same race as the winged woman.

LadyotheLoch: I'm sure you would boyo, but you should know by now, that it's never going to happen  
A fox girl with bright green hair, and chainmail armor adds.

Scream_Queen: YAY!  
Scream_Queen: I got the bat wings! No more wasting MP to fly, and it suits me better  
Another of the people with feathers on their head cheers as she runs up, before leaping into the air and a pair of bat like wings appear to keep her afloat.

Tits-o-Doom: Grats girl. Hope you enjoy them  
A human appearing woman adds, clad in heavy armor, and sporting twin short handled battle axes.

Scream_Queen: thanks again for the loan, ToD. Never would have had the coin to do it otherwise  
LadiesMan_NY: so do the new wings make your sexy elf any hotter?  
LadiesMan_NY: and the answer is HELL YES  
The archer types, as his controller zooms in on the bat winged woman, focusing on the cleavage displayed by the blue grey mage robes she is allowed to wear at that level.

LadyotheLoch: Boyo, if you don't give it a rest, I'm going to shove this magic staff thingy where the sun don't shine!  
The fox girl warns, her character brandishing her Patika as a huge stone golem appears behind her, standing like a bodyguard.

Tits-o-Doom: just ignore his come-ons and let's get to it  
Tits-o-Doom: too bad Killer isn't on. A barb would make this run easier.  
The human types, as she turns and leads the rest of the group out of the huge town they had agreed to meet in.

Scream_Queen: I'm going to pay you back as soon as possible Tod.  
Scream_Queen: I know you are saving up for the marriage packs  
She types, as she keeps pace with the rest of the party.

LadyotheLoch: you're joking I hope  
While there is no voice on at the moment, it doesn't take any imagination from the others to hear her tone of voice.

Tits-o-Doom: thanks for letting the cat out of the bag, screamer .

Scream_Queen: SORRY! x.x

Tits-o-Doom: never mind, I want to get this fb done. This is going to level me over 30, and that means I can fly!  
The human keys the "dance" command, her character spinning into a display for a moment before returning to the path, the lot of them targeting and hitting a large green bug en-mass, destroying the creature with a single attack.  
Tits-o-Doom: hey ladies man, can I get that Complete Sack from you? It's the last one I need, according to the database for the flight quest.  
She asks, after the game randomly distributes the items among the party.

LadiesMan_NY: no problem. The sooner everyone can fly, the sooner we can work on bigger and better things.  
The archer answers, dropping the item, and initiating another fight with another bug that is a little too close to them.

After they finish off that one, and dash toward the tower that is glowing with an evil green light, they enter, each appearing one after another within a dungeon, after waiting a moment on a loading screen.

Tits-o-doom: Okay, loch, you and snaky team up on healing a pet, since it's going to have to tank for us. Till then make sure we stay alive, clerics.  
She tells them, casting her improved defense spell on everyone, before leading them off into the caverns.

LadiesMan_NY: what about me?  
The archer asks, being careful to not instigate any fights, but being the first to fire at any monster that attacks them.

LadyotheLoch: Same as ever boyo, make anything that looks at us funny into a pincushion.  
The venomancer (the beast girls class) types, as she slings a green burst of magic at the hulking poison spewing zombie charging at them.

Tits-o-doom: I hate this freaking dungeon. Too many mobs, and too many blind corners for them to hide behind  
The human, a blademaster, types as she has her character lays into the monster with her axes. As she fights, a column of light appears over her, and her rapidly shrinking Hit Point bar refills, proving that the parties healers are on the job.

SerpentQueen: Move it Tits, someone cleared this out before we got here, and they are starting to respawn  
The antlered venomancer adds, her wolf pet attacking a monster that simply appeared behind them.

Scream_Queen: cut and run. Leave the pets to keep them busy!  
The magic wand wielding cleric orders, casting one last healing spell before heading deeper into the caverns.

LadyotheLoch: for the record, I hate this plan  
The armored veno types as she is forced to abandon her golem, and run after the others.

Godzilla_FW: need a hand?  
A dark haired blademaster with glowing hands types as he unleashes an energy blast resembling a red serpent like dragon. The targeted monster collapses after the hit, before fading away.

LadyMaznksr: looks like they got caught in an agro trap  
A pale skinned, red haired cat girl with golden eyes remarks, as she calls out a golden skinned giant that resembles a Buddha with a bad attitude.

Godzilla_FW: then let's clean house  
The BM answers, as he suddenly spins into several spin kicks in a row, the energies flowing from the attacks hitting all the monsters close by, and making mop up by the venomancer a one hit affair.

LadyMaznksr: Looking good big guy.  
She types while her avatar blows him a kiss.

Godzilla_FW: let's see if they need any more help.  
He returns, heading after the party.

LadyMaznksr: think they will want our help?  
She asks, quickly heading after her partner, and as the text above their heads attests, her in game husband.

Godzilla_FW: this isn't the way to cadaver. They are going to the secret passage  
He says, when he realizes what part of the dungeon they are heading toward.

LadyMaznksr: Slagit, I hate that guy.  
She returns as they continue down the halls, before dashing past a room full of monsters and into the blue haze of a transport zone.

Godzilla_FW: damnit, I just remembered. We are not in the same party, we will get a separate instance then they will

LadyMaznksr: well that sucks. Should we give it up?  
She asks, stopping when the man does.

Godzilla_FW: we'll wait for them at the temple. If they die, we will offer to help them.  
He decides, taking up an odd stance while a blue glow appears on the ground around him

LadyMaznksr: Your call hon  
She answers, mimicking him.

The both teleport out to the Temple of the Hidden Orchid, where anyone leaving the dungeon appears.

Tits-o-Doom: one group at a time guys. Gang up on them.  
She orders, hurling herself at a monster heading for the clerics.

Scream_Queen: Thanks for the save  
She types, while casting her healing spell on her savior.

Tits-o-Doom: teamwork  
Is her response a she unloads a triangular shaped energy blast at the mob that is the finishing touch on it.

LadyotheLoch: we got the door man while you where all busy  
She informs them.

LdiesMan_NY: Then let's kill the big guy  
He adds, leading the way down the hall and stopping just inside the newly revealed chamber.

LadyotheLoch: Rebuff everyone.  
She orders, casting her meager defense improvements on the rest of the party, one at a time. The rest follow suit, until everyone has every bit of protection they can get.

BeautifulKlr: Who's going to draw him down?  
The more heavily armored cleric asks, speaking up for the first time since the beginning.

SerpentQueen: My turn  
She responds, sending a tamed viper up the steps leading to the large cat like boss monster.

Tits-o-Doom: get ready to intercept him Loch  
The blademaster warns, as the viper is summarily squished, and the monster charges the group.

LadiesMan_NY: ROCK ON!  
He yells, blasting the monster with magically enhanced arrows, while the blademaster and Golem pet rush in and lay into the beast, the clerics healing the BM, while the venomancers pool their resources to keep the golem alive.

After a solid fifteen minutes, and several close calls, they manage to kill the beast, but not without loss, as the one known as Scream_Queen revives her sister cleric, SerpentQueen, and LadiesMan.

Tits-o-Doom: sorry you guys lost xp in there.  
She apologizes, as one by one, they reappear in the temple

LadyotheLoch: happens. We just need a better plan next time  
She counters as she transforms into her fox form and runs out the doors, leaving the squad.

SerpentQueen: I'm done for tonight too. Have a movie I want to watch  
She has her character give a little wave before she vanishes.

LadiesMan_NY: I have something I want to watch too. Later ladies.  
He sends before logging out.

The other cleric doesn't even say good bye before logging out.

Scream_Queen: you heading for your aerogear?  
She asks as the pair start toward the temple exit.

Godzilla_FW: need a hand?  
He asks, following the pair a few steps.

Tits-o-Doom: Do you know who I need to talk to in order to get the aerogear quest?

LadyMaznksr: Archosaurs elder starts everyone on that quest.  
She tells the pair in open chat, in between bursts of idiocy from players with more money than brains.

A quick invitation later brings the pair into the party, drawing shocked comments from both players.

Scream_Queen: You two are both high sixties? Why are you wasting time hanging with us?  
She demands, surprised.

LadyMaznksr: Should we tell them?  
She asks, turning to face her partner.

Godzilla_FW: well, they where the first people to be nice to us here. I think they deserve to know.  
He answers, his character giving a shrug..

Tits-o-Doom: are you two some kind of freaky cyber-stalkers or something?  
Tits-o-Doom: 'cause I promise you, you WILL regret messing with us  
She warns, as the two pairs face off.

LadyMaznksr: relax Nita. Be a poor way to repay the welcome hug, wouldn't it?  
She answers, blowing the pair a kiss

Scream_Queen: Lady Maz-nk-sr.  
Scream_Queen: Mazinkaiser?  
Scream_Queen: Kaze?  
She demands, after puzzling out the name

Godzilla_FW: nice detective work Sonia  
He returns, making his character sit down.

Tits-o-Doom:….no way. YOU are Jura?  
She asks, the typing clearly making the tone of the question plain.

Godzilla_FW: do you know of another K-girl and Super Robot Sex Doll that just recently arrived on board a giant robot?  
He, or more accurately she, asks in return.

Scream_Queen: why the hell do you have a guy character?  
She demands, still in shock.

LadyMaznksr: LOL she wanted us to be able to get married in the game, so we had my sister flip a coin for us.  
LadyMaznksr: she lost  
She tells them, the giggles apparent even without being there.

Tits-o-Doom: well, if Kaze won't get too jealous, this works out just fine. Pick me up, and we can get me my aerosword in no time.  
She tells them, asking Jura's character to embrace.

Godzilla_FW: Let's get this done then  
She remarks, picking up Nita's avatar and calling out her own areogear, a aerosword that is as much stabbing weapon as it is battle shield.

Tits-o-doom: Nice gear. How long have you two been playing?  
She asks, remarking on the cash shop clothes and equipment the pair are sporting.

LadyMaznksr: around six months or so.  
She answers, as a griffin appears under her, lifting her into the air as she stands on its back.

Tits-o-Doom: how do you guys afford all that stuff?  
She asks, since she doesn't have that kind of real world money to waste on the game.

Godzilla_FW: Kaze plays nearly constantly, mostly as a merchant, selling pet eggs and other stuff.  
Godzilla_FW: she makes a fortune, and that's how we have all the spiffy stuff.  
She answers, as the foursome fly over the city and drop in so that Nita can get her quest.

Godzilla_FW: don't bother, I already know where you need to go  
She types, as they lift off again, and head north in the game, much faster than Nita would have been able to cover on foot.

Scream_Queen: I didn't see a weapon back there. And how do you get that glowing effect on your hands?  
She asks Jura.

Godzilla_FW: that glow IS my weapon. I'm primarily a Fist BM. I have other weapons, and skills, but I like these best.  
Jura tells her as they cross the lake outside of the largest human settlement.

Scream_Queen: can you guys take out Bloodrage Cadaver? He keeps blindsiding me when I try to work on my quests over there.  
She asks, suddenly realizing that having such high level friends is going to make several things easier, at least until they all catch up.

Godzilla_FW: I hate him. It will give me great pleasure to pound him into the ground for you. Repeatedly  
Jura tells her as they begin their decent.

Tits-o-Doom: just talk to him, and hand over the sacks, right?  
She asks, walking up to the NPC and starting the process.

Godzilla_FW: that's all  
Jura types, but even before she can send it, Nita's character is onboard its game supplied flight gear.

Tits-o-Doom: it's not as fast or flashy as yours, but at least I don't have to rely on others to get to the high places now  
She enthuses, flying around the others, before going straight up

After exchanging friend information, they all log out, promising to hook up next time they are all online

~~~later that night~~~

"We owe Doc Chapman and Randy big time for this," Kaze tells Jura as they get ready for bed.  
"I agree," Jura giggled before an odd thought interred her head. "Hey, did Zoe send a fabricator with the maintenance cradle?"  
"Yeah. Why, what did you have in mind?" Kaze turned towards her lover, suddenly suspicious.

"Well, our favorite Hacker isn't going to be easy to thank. Maybe we could build him a computer like mine." The Godzilla said as she pulled her shirt over her head, exposing her jiggling breasts. "And if Dr. Chapman agrees, I think we should build one for everyone. They won't need to be as heavy duty as mine, except for maybe Ginoa's, but I'm sure everyone would like that kind of upgrade over what their currently using."

"That's a tall order and is going to take a while. You're talking about building, from scratch, thirty some high end computers. My cradle isn't like dads lab back home. The fabricator there can build a whole body in a couple of days. This one can only handle simple maintenance. It would take a couple of days just to replace one of my forearms, if I had to," Kaze explains.

"Oh, I didn't realize it was so limited," Jura groaned, crestfallen, as she climbed into bed.  
"Don't be so bummed out," Kaze smiled at her, slipping in next to her. "Like you said, they don't need to be as tricked out as yours, with the exception of Randy's. He won't need the palm scanner I don't think, but we will let him have a full version of the rest of it. I think I can have that ready to go in a week or so."  
"And the rest? If they like the plan that is," Jura asked.

"I've got first dibs on the construction gizmos Millena sent with us, to convert that tank into a hanger. Since computer gear is going to be required for keep up on the maintenance for the big guy, they are capable of doing what we need. I'll just have to do some very specific programming, and remove it afterward," Kaze said as she reached out and gently circled her lover's belly with a fingertip.

"What would I do without you?" Jura giggled, pulling the redheaded Cyberdoll into a hug.  
"Here's hoping we never have to find out," Kaze whispered, nuzzling the top of Jura's head.

They stay that way throughout the night. 

~~~One week later~~~

"Got everything disconnected yet?" Kaze asked as she peered past the steering box to the boy lying under the truck.

"That should do it," John grunted as he popped the driveshaft loose, letting it clang to the floor.

"Okay, then get out here," Kaze tells him, reaching into the engine compartment and gently grabbing the engine at the points John had specified earlier. With a sharp tug, she frees the engine and connected transmission from their mounts, and carefully draws it up and out of the dog house.

"Damn, that's a hell of a lot smoother than using a cherry-picker," John smirked as the robo-girl hefts the engine and trans over one shoulder.  
"C'mon, I've seen you lift things that would make a normal human blow a vein, you could do this too," she shoots back while moving over to thick iron "strip down table".  
"Maybe, but not that easily, and not that smoothly," he answered, wiping his hands on a rag as he follows.  
"Hey, what are you guys planning for Halloween?" Kaze asks, as she maneuvers the wooden mount blocks into place, helping to keep the engine from falling over when she finally sets it down.  
"Halloween?" John blinks blankly. "It's only august Red, still a little early to worry about that kind of stuff."

Kaze just gave him the look.

"What?" he demanded, getting the feeling that he's suddenly missing something REALLY obvious.

"How long have you been with Ginoa?" she gave a smirk, having fun leading him by the nose to this revelation.  
"Long enough to know that you are about to club me over the head with your point," the Lt. muttered. "So just get it over with."  
"Heh, your right about that," she grins. "But the point is, costumes take a lot longer for our girls to make, than they do for you and me."

And like a light being turned on, he understood the simple truth of why she was asking about Halloween.

"If it's ok with you, I want to bring this up with the big boss," she says while John rummages around his toolbox for what he would need to tear the engine down. "Unless you still need me down here?"

"Yeah, go ahead and do it now. It will give me a chance to get this thing tore down to the point I can show you the next detailed job I have for you," he tells her, as he began disconnecting the transmission from the engine block. All the while wondering what Ginoa would like to go as.

~~~The Boss' office~~~

"A Halloween party? Kind of early to be planning that, isn't it?" Nick wondered aloud, while behind him, Elsie just looked thoughtfully.  
"Nicky, it's not like the girls can just go buy costumes off the rack like we can," his wife chimes in.  
"Which is what I told John when he said the same thing," the robo-girl pointed out with a giggle.  
"So what did you have in mind?" Nick asked, smart enough to know when he's out gunned.  
"Nothing really, just thought I would bring it up to you guys if it hadn't occurred yet," Kaze shrugged, already heading toward the door.

After she left, the two doctors turned toward one another.

"Looks like we have two and a half months to plan one hell of a Halloween party," Nick said with a shake of his head.  
"Monster-girls in costumes. This is going to be fun," Elsie grinned, already plotting and scheming.

~~~Home again, Home again~~~

"Why do you look so pleased with yourself?" Jura asked after seeing the look on her lover's face as Kaze entered their room.  
"Check your e-mail," Kaze grinned, pulling off her mechanic's overalls and heading for the shower.

"Smart-alec sex bot," Jura murmured as she turned to her comp and brought up her e-mail. In addition to finding new mail from both Zoe and Maizy, she found one marked from Dr. Tatopoulos. After reading it, she stood and walked into the bathroom. "You reminded them that we need extra time to make costumes, didn't you?"

"Who me?" Kaze called back over the sound of rushing water, the grin apparent in her voice.  
"Well, just so you know," Jura tells her, a smug look on her face. "I'm picking out your costume."  
"Ok …er… wait a sec," Kaze says as she yanks the shower stalls door open. "You wouldn't…"  
"Make you go as a catgirl?" Jura finished her lover's frantic plea. "No, although I will admit it's tempting," the Godzilla-morph answered with a grin.  
"Then what do you have in mind," questioned the droid, closing the door long enough to rinse off, before stepping back out.  
Handing her a fluffy towel, Jura answers, "Nothing yet, but it's going to be themed to go with whatever I settle on for myself."  
"Oh, I don't have a problem with that," Kaze answered, but as she bent over to dry her legs, she missed the evil grin that spread over Jura's lips.  
"Good. When you're dressed again, come out here, we have news from home," Godzilla states, heading back into the other room to find out what Zoe and Maizy have to tell them.

~~~5 minutes later~~~

"I can't believe she did it," Kaze murmurs, re-reading the message in shock. "It's supposed to be scientifically impossible."  
"Zoe confirms it. She managed to tune a photon beam emitter the same way they describe it working on Wikipedia. Science fiction, and mad scientist technology are a dangerous combination," Jura returns, eyeing the naked droid standing next to her.  
"At least she made sure to include a stun setting. I'd hate to hear that her friends cut off each other's arms while they were playing," Kaze adds, stepping back from the screen.

"All that aside, I think we should have Maizy send us the schematics," Jura gently rubbed her chin in thought. "We both know that we are playing nice when we practice with real swords. If we had those, we could get a little more ruthless, and not have to worry about permanent damage."

"True, and she says that the stun setting gives a nasty shock that even we bots can feel, so it would work both ways," Kaze admitted.  
"We don't even need to build full powered versions for practice," Jura smiled, mostly thinking out loud. "The stun is plenty for what we want, and we can make full powered spares if we ever really need them. Who knows, we may just be able to teach the others a thing or two."  
"Okay. The constructors should have the full size fabricator online in the next couple of days, so we can get started on your computer project first, then those," Kaze nods, giving her lover's shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"That sounds good… hey, hold on," Jura suddenly shoots the sex-bot an accusing look. "You never told me that you where building a bigger fabricator… Why?"

"Well, after your laptop idea, it occurred to me that I might need to make some internal parts for the big guy, and there is no way in hell my cradle is going to be able to handle that. So rather than screw around, I'm building a larger fabricator into the hanger, and locking it out so that only I can initiate its use," Kaze answered with a shrug.

"And it's not that you don't trust the American military," Jura begins.  
"But I want to keep really close tabs on just how many pieces of New Z Alpha leave our hands," Kaze confirms, crossing her arms under her exposed breasts.  
"I'm sure Zoe would approve," Jura agreed.

"So… what have you been up to," Kaze asked as she moved over and flops down onto the sofa, filling Jura in on her current work load. "John's been teaching me how to strip down different types of engines, and rebuild them."

"Well, the doctors Tatopoulos have moved me up from cleaning the lab," Jura answered as she stood and followed. "They have given me files on every mutation they have come in contact with, all the M-girls, and every Daikaiju they could get information on." With a groan, she slipped into Kaze's lap. "My current assignment is to find the original animal base of the mutations, and then attempt to isolate the cause of the mutation effect."

"….Damn! Are they trying to break your mind with that workload?"  
"Hardly. I asked for the fasted way to be brought up to speed, and this is what they came back with," Jura tells her as she snuggles close. "Teaches me to ask for it, won't it?"  
"Godzilla conquers all," Kaze retorts leaning in to plant a kiss on her lover's forehead.  
"Yes, yes I do," the G-girl giggled, giving her backside a wiggle.

"Jura, I know that look in your eyes," Kaze sighed, lifting the girl off her lap and setting her aside. "But we should get something to eat before play time," she said as she stood.

"Oh, you don't get off that easy," Jura grinned wickedly, grabbing the bot's arm and pulling, both of them giggling as they tumbled to the floor.

~~~Meanwhile, 3 doors down~~~

"What is it you wanted to see me about Rexi?" Monique asks, when Rexi answered the door to her dorm.

After checking to see if the hallway was clear, the C-Rex stepped aside and ushered the French woman in. "It has to do with the Halloween party that was on my E-mail," she began.  
"And how does this concern you and I?" the spy arched an eyebrow, while speaking in a voice that most would not think she was capable of.  
"I have a costume in mind, but I need help with a few things," the m-girl sullenly admitted.  
"Why ask me," Monique questioned, wondering what Rexi has in mind. "My skills are hardly in the areas of costume design,"  
"I know that!" she said in an eager voice. "But you can teach me to do this kind of thing without looking like a fool," she said, waving to the t.v. which was showing a loop from a video game.  
"You wish to learn to use a similar weapon?" the spy asked, making sure they were both on the same page.  
"Without all the magic crap that the game adds in, yeah," Rexi agreed hopefully.  
"Let me see the footage a few more times," Monique sighed, tuning out the lack of real clothing on the fighter, and instead concentrating on character's movements.  
"Sure," the C-Rex girls replies, picking up the game controller and resetting the command to play the demo.

After a few more runs through, Monique identified the moves and conciliated something similar enough to be of help to the girl. "I believe I know someone who can teach you something like this. But I warn you, you won't be able to just learn enough of this to play make-believe for one day. It will require dedication, and no small amount of effort on your part. Are you willing to put that much work into this?" her demeanor all business once again.

Rexi sat with her eyes on the screen, but not really seeing anything as she thought over what she had been told. "Yes," she finally answered, true conviction burning in her eyes.  
"Very well. Be ready no later than Six in the morning. We will be going into town," the spy informed her as she stood.  
"You won't tell anyone, will you?" Rexi demanded suddenly, not wanting any of the others to know that she asked for help.  
"Tell them what?" Monique asked, smirking over her shoulder as she exited.

~~~3 minutes later~~~

"Hey, do you mind if I pick out our costumes for the Halloween party?" Randy requested from the kitchen as Monique entered their living quarters.

"Not if it involves blue body paint, and nipple pasties," she growled while slipping her shoulder holster off and hanging it over a kitchen chair. "I was not happy walking around that… Dragon Con… was it?"  
"Yeah," the hacker nodded.  
"I did not enjoy being lead around, butt naked, while nerds mobbed us taking photos."  
"You weren't …totally… naked," Randy chuckled as he fixed dinner. "You had a thong on…"  
"You were in full body armor," she snorted, placing a finger at the base of his spine as she slid up behind him. "Armor, by the way, that you talking Phillipe into having specially made just for you… I however was painted blue, and was naked."

"erk…" he froze in place, sweat starting to drip down his forehead, "But even you have to admit, you were drop dead sexy." He smiled weakly before pointing out, "And you did win first place and most realistic Cortana costume…"

She just gave him "the look" for several moments, before sighing and pulling her finger away, "Alright, but if I end up looking foolish or being embarrassed over what you have chosen for me, I would advise that you move far away, and give up sleeping."

"Fair enough. I will do my best to make sure that you will have no reason to hurt me after finding out what your costume is," he turned to face her, holding up one hand while placing the other over his heart.  
"Good. Now, I want you to tell me everything you know about a video game called Soulcaliber," she said after making sure none of his fingers were crossed, that was how he got her the last time.  
"Since when do you care about video games?" Randy shot back, mouth on auto pilot while his mind worked over the source of the request.  
"Since I have just been given a most interesting request, by one of the girls," she returned not really giving anything away.  
"Okay. What do you want first, my opinion in general, character design, story, or weapons?" he wondered.

"General story, to begin," she answered, pulling a chair out from their dining table, spinning it around, and straddling it so she can rest her arms and chin on the back.

"Two swords, one good, one bad. Soul Edge eats souls of the people it kills, growing stronger, while the Soulcaliber magnifies the power of its wielders soul, making them stronger, so that they can put a stop to Soul Edges' rampages," he replies while stirring his homemade seasoning into the ground beef he was cooking.

"Your opinion?" she asked.

"In general, I think it's a solid game. The different weapons skill sets look to be mostly realistically based. I think for the last few games they have actually been using motion capture to make sure that everything looks as good as it can. The last installment has made some changes that I don't particularly care for, but the combat has blocks, parries, "clashes" were if the timing is right the weapons literally bounce back, with sparks from the impact. Take out all the "soul" stuff and the glowing effects, and I'd say it's pretty realistic. With the exception of there not being any blood when you hit the characters," he reports.

"Intersting. What about the weapons?"

"For the most part, they are pretty straight forward. Swords, axes, staff, one girl uses tonfa, daggers. It covers a lot of ground. But there is one that is pretty wild. It's called the Ivy Blade, named after its user, and creator. It's like a short sword, but it can fall apart kind of into this bladed whip type thing. And she is seriously bad news in a fight. Nearly impossible to figure out where each attack is going to land with that thing," he took a moment to pause as he added the rice.

"Could such a weapon be made in the real world?" she put the question to her boy-toy.

"Here? No way, not with all the "magic" crap the story puts into it to make it possible. The gang on NMI might be able to make a high tech version, but it wouldn't be much like the game one other than looks and being able to split, in my opinion," he answered.

"And your opinion on the character designs?" she ask, her tone growing board.

"The guys are buff, without being complete muscle heads. Six-packs and muscular definition are there, without looking like they spend every second not devoted to sleep or food in the gym," he chuckled. "The girls? Well, they are hot. The design team went out of their way to make sure that teenage boys would be having very..colorful dreams staring their characters."

"Speaking from experience I take it?" she smirked.  
"No, I did something else with it when the 'create your own character' feature came out," he admitted, hoping that it wasn't going to result in him getting hurt.  
"And what was that?" she perked up, curious about why he was suddenly acting uneasy.

"I made… you," he answered simply. "But it was back when you where barely tolerating me, so I erased it all shortly afterward to make sure you never had a reason to make good on any of the threats you where tossing around back then."

"Do you still have a copy of that game?" she inquired, touched that he went to that kind of trouble to have something resembling her.  
"Yeah, I don't get rid of good ones," he nodded, taking dinner off the stove.  
"Then later perhaps you will have to teach me how to play it, after we take turns designing new fighters," she grinned warmly at him. "But after we eat, I need to get to sleep, I am making an early trip into town, and it's a case of where you shouldn't ask," she added.  
"'Nuff said, chika. I'll do my best to keep from waking you up. But I still have a few things that Nick asked me to check over, so I'm going to be a while yet," he tells her.

After dinner was done, Randy was once again back at his computer and was soon immersed in the data stream. Silently, after making sure the dishes were placed in the washer, Monique sidled up behind and whispers something in his ear. Instantly his face burn like he'd just spent a week in the desert with no shade, before giving him a peck on the cheek, and heading the bedroom, stripping out of her cloths as she went.

"…one of these days I need to send Winter a thank you card for shooting Ginoa up with those nanites," he muttered to himself, images of Monique flashing through his head in several poses and states of dress, while he tried in vain to keep working on the computer.

~~~Later that week~~~

"This place is really starting to come together," John whistled, as he lets himself in to the no longer makeshift hanger for the Mazinkaiser.  
"It does look pretty good, doesn't it? At least from in here," Kaze returned, turning away from checking the programming progression on one of the construction machines Millena sent with them.

Said construction device stood a little over two n a half feet tall, was three feet at its widest point of its abdomen, and had 4 spider like legs and a set of pincers that it used in construction. Fact was, the whole thing kind of looked like a giant spider, if it weren't for the huge fan in its back that gave the thing limited flight.

"Yeah, the outside still looks like crap though," he took note. "Just like the HEAT building."  
"It's supposed to. I suggested it, and our favorite SFL agreed, that the less obvious we are about this being here, the better for everyone involved," Kaze retorts.  
"How did you get him standing? And how did they dig a crevasse that deep without anyone hearing you blasting through the bedrock?" John asked when he realized that the super robot was now standing neck deep in a perfectly rounded tube made of metal.  
"The holding bay was the first order of business actually," Kaze shrugged. "And to be honest, the whole hanger goes down some 69 feet, and is divided into 5 separate sections. Now seeing as how the big guy stands some 84 feet in height, that leaves the last 15 feet that is his head, level here with us here at the entrance."

"You're joking. You guys have only been working on this for a little over a week, it would take the Sandhog construction crew working 'round the clock for a month, just to clear the hole I see here," he yelped in surprise.

"And how do you think they rebuild DKA so fast when things get out of hand?" Kaze deadpanned. "The girls wreck something, it's back in action by start of classes the next day."  
"Amazing," he muttered, eyeing the giant spider-like machine.  
"And complicated," she adds, making sure to stand in his path in case he wanted to get closer to it. "You might not want to mess with them until I have a chance to program them that you are a friend."  
"When does that start?" he wondered.  
"Once I'm done with them in here, I've been informed that I need to wait for the blueprints to be finalized. After that, I give them the directions, and let them do the hard work. We just need to make sure they have enough raw materials to do the job," she said as she turned and sent the construction-bot back to work.

"Speaking of which, I know they haven't been any deliveries of the stuff, so where did you get all the cement?" he asked, still shocked by what has been going on under everyone's noses.  
"Their grinding up that much bedrock, and you're wondering where the gravel came from to make cement?" she smirked. "C'mon. Something I want to show off," she adds, waving for the Lt. to follow her.  
"What are you up to?" he questioned as she led him to a set of stairs that descend into the crevasse where Mazinkaiser stood ready.  
"Just showing you some of the other -things- I've taken upon myself to put in here," she answered while they worked their way down and around the switchbacks in the stairs. "And just so you know, there will be a cargo elevator added soon."  
"Man, I just realized, he can't fly without the Scrander," John asks as their near the bottom. "So how do you get him out of the bay?"

"Hah, I wondered how long it would take you to ask," she grinned. "The big guy is actually standing on a massive lift platform. And to answer your next questions, the roof opens now, and so do both ends of the tank. And everything has been reinforced. You could nuke New York, and not get anyone inside this tank."

"Have you told Monique about any of this yet?" John gave her an accusing look, already knowing the answer.  
"No, I wanted to finish it all the construction first, then let them know," she giggled, leading him through several blast shielded doors, to the center of the bottom level. "That way no one could say no to my plans."  
"That's pretty damn smart," he chuckled as he followed her past the giant robot's legs and into a back room, only to suddenly freeze in his tracks. "What the FUCK is that?" he gasped upon seeing the large cone shaped device that took up almost two levels worth of large room.

"THAT, Mr. Cross, is a Photon Reactor. Another couple of days, and we are going to be entirely self sufficient in terms of power out here. I'm going to be hooking HEAT, and the school into it as well," Kaze answered, pride in her voice.

"…..um, I'm pretty sure you need all kinds of permits and stuff to have ANYTHING like that this close to a populated area," he deadpanned.

"What the paper pusher don't know, can't worry them," Kaze shrugged. "Besides, it's "required equipment" for maintenance purposes. Not like you can just plug the big guy into the wall outlet to recharge. I just went a little overboard on the size, so I could tie everything we are responsible for into our own private power grid."

"You DID get permission to bring him over here, right?" John blinked, suddenly very suspicious.

She laughed at that, before answering, "Yeah, I got deployment and reassignment orders and everything. Included in that is a presidential order giving me permission to set a maintenance facility for "Any and all equipment that I bring with me, or may be assigned to this location to assist in protecting the school", end quote."

"You are going to want to have that on hand when you let everyone know about all of this," he pointed out.

"Good idea," she agrees, making a note to grab all that stuff from the Pilder when the time came.  
"Any other surprises you want to spring on me?" he inquired, half jokingly.  
"One more, yeah," she smiled, waving him to follow. After backtracking to the stairs, they go back up, about to the height of the 'Kaisers waist. "This is what they are working on now," she had to yell, after opening the door and releasing the scream of industrial drills, and other, not so easily identified noises.  
"What the hell is this going to be?" John called over the din.  
"Home," she answered simply. "I'm putting personnel quarters down here for any pilots assigned here, for after we leave."  
"You already planning that far ahead?" he blinked, startled.

"I'm going to go with Jura, regardless of what anyone in "authority" has to say in the matter. So while we are here, this is going to be home. But I'm under no illusions that she's going to stay here forever. Eventually, she's going to feel like she's learned everything she can here, and is going to want to move on. I'm hoping that is going to take years, but I'm still planning for it now, while I can do something about it," she told him after leading him off into a room away from the industrial noise.

"How are you planning to lay this out down here?" he asks, amazed at the amount of forethought she had put into what she readily admitted was only going to be a temporary home.  
"One big room in the center, that will be living/dining room, with the kitchen area against the wall over here," she advised, drawing a quick sketch in the dust. "Three bedrooms, with their own baths, leading off of it, and over here, is going to be a training room kind of thing, while the control room and main computer will be one level above. There will also be a med-lab one level beneath."  
"Where are you getting the materials for all the high tech stuff?" he finally challenged.  
"Some of it is coming from the bedrock," she again pointed out. "Once in a while the construction bots come across small deposits of metal in there, and for the rest, haven't you noticed that the "junk yard" out there has been getting cleaned up?"

"It has? I guess I never really bothered to look at it that closely," he admitted, feeling slightly foolish.

"One of the constructors is a little guy. He goes out there, and designates stuff to be brought back down and recycled into what we need. They have pretty much stripped that tank we originally hid the Scrander in, all that is left of that is the walls, and I'm planning to "eat" that next, to finish this off," she tells John.

"You said this place was nuke proof. What are you building it out of?" he inquired, thinking back to the heavy doors he was shown earlier.  
"It's amazing how easy it is to create special alloys with this equipment, once you know the molecular structure of what you are after," she grinned, waiting for him to do the math.  
"No way," the Lt. whispered in shock, his look of bug eyed surprise confirming that he didn't miss the implications. "Everything down here.." he trailed off.

"Reinforced with Z alloys," she grins. "And the hanger itself up top is just as tough as the 'Kaisers armor."

"Now I know that Monique is going to demand answers," John mutters. "Aside from the fact that you could, what made you decide to do this?"

"You actually," the sex-bot answered.

"Huh? How did I do that?" he blinked.  
"You have your own little apartment inside HEAT's garage. It's your own little world, and sanctuary. I thought it would be nice to have that kind of thing too," she explains.  
"…That will probably go more toward getting the higher-ups off your back about this than any other argument you might offer," he admits.  
"That's one of the reasons I've kept this under wraps," she smirked at him. "It's a lot harder to argue about it, after it's already done."  
"Good point," he grins. "But for now, you better get us out of here, before our girlfriends think we are cheating on them."  
"Well, yours might think that," She grins at him, leading the way. "Mine would just smash YOU, for trying to take advantage of me."  
"…Yeah, somehow it doesn't surprise me that I would catch hell from both sides…." He mutters under his breath.

"Hey Kaze," John asked in a quiet voice once the two had left the hanger.  
"Yeah John,"  
"What would it take," he began hesitantly. "How can I talk you into making spare parts and body panels for my charger out of that Z-stuff?"  
Kaze's only response was to give him a thoughtful glance. 

Most of September passed in a blur, with Kaze learning vehicle repair from John, while at the same time teaching him the ins 'n' outs of the construction bots. Yet she wasn't the only one expanding her knowledge, Jura to, was learning everything she could about all the brain trust at HEAT had offer. The fallout from Kaze's construction projects had been surprisingly minimal, once she explained the why's of it all. Everyone agreed that her actions made excellent sense. Monique went as far as to compliment her on creating a perfect bomb shelter for everyone.

~~~Secrets, love, and personal sacrifice… Kaze style~~~

"Yo, Red, can I talk to you for a minute?" Randy called, having wandered into the school's garage in search of the robot.

"Just a sec," she called back from under an older Lincoln Town Car, a car that John had scrounged up for the school to use for official business. Once she finished her work, Randy watches in awe as the bot literally lifted the car off herself, slid the creeper clear, and then gently set the sedan back down.

"Damn, girl… That's kinda freaky," he smirked at her. "One tends to forget you're a robot, when you have that holographic skin of yours on."  
"No choice, my boobs catch on the undercarriage otherwise," she grinned back at his expression.  
"I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that," the hacker muttered, praying to god Monique never finds out about this conversation. "I need to ask you a couple of things. If the answers are what I need, I'd like to ask a favor," he tells her.  
"Fire at will," Kaze said, leaning back on the fender of the car.  
"How good is your scanning capability? Can you measure and map a person's body, through their clothes for example?" he asked.

Kaze grinned as she faked a yawn, stretching her arms over her head and overriding her normal functions to make her nipples hard, causing then to stand instantly erect against the cloth of her coveralls. Then she gave Randy the once over. "Well hacker man, you have a net book in the back pocket of those baggy ass shorts of yours, two micro speakers in you right hand pocket, a strip of beef jerky in your left, and three thumb drives in the left breast pocket of your jacket," her smile broadened.

"Okay, you got me there, but what about-" he starts to ask, yet is quickly cut off.

"And you surprise me. Monique is a lucky woman, especially if you're as good with that thing as you are a keyboard," Kaze winked, mischief danced in her optics. "And it's about so long, and this big around," she added, measuring said object with her hands as his face burned redder than her hair.

"Okay, you have the capabilities for that part, now comes the favor," he said, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves.  
"Hit me with your best shot," she gave a nod, while crossing her arms over her chest.  
"Monique agreed to let me pick out BOTH of our costumes for the party," he began.  
"She…Damn, I hope you picked something good for her," Kaze blinked, rather impressed.  
"That's kind of the problem," he admitted with a sigh. "I'm going with characters from a videogame, but the one I settled on for her is proving… difficult to find pieces for," Randy admits.  
"Who did you have in mind," the sex doll asked, accessing the web in her head, and preparing to do an image search.  
"I'm going as Maxi, and I've already managed to find enough things to make a convincing costume for it," he told her, at which point she canceled the search for that name. "And I picked Taki for her."

"The demon slaying ninja from Soulcaliber?" she asked, waiting for him to acknowledge her conclusion before continuing. "The screen shots I'm looking at… this will either go very well for you, or end very badly," she tells him frankly.

"Right now, it's going to end with me in a body bag," he admitted. "The closest I can find to Taki's body suit is a latex catsuit."  
"That in itself isn't grounds for her to-" Kaze began to say, only to be cut off.  
"A transparent latex catsuit," he adds.  
"Oh yeah, you're dead if you even think about going with that," she agreed.  
"No shit Sherlock," he grumbled darkly. "I know that you can make things, since you've whipped up all those computers, which I LOVE, thank you again by the way, but can you help me build her Taki costume?"  
"Why not just pick a different character?" Kaze wondered.

"You ever played the game?" he asked while rolling his eyes.

"No," she answers, starting another search with just the games title. The images that starts flashing through her mind were enough to give her processors a headache.

"Now I see why you went that route," she nodded after shutting down her search. "Super short skirts, Togas, Dominatrix outfits, Strategically ripped shirts 'n' pants…" Kaze slowly shakes her head. "Monique would probably not've killed you if you used the kids out fits, but then….you dressed her up as a kid… so no win there. You sure put yourself between a rock and a hard place on this one."

"Tell me about it," he agreed, crestfallen. "Can you do it?"

She gave it a thought, letting Randy stew for a couple minutes, running several different plans through her processors before picking one that has a chance of working. "Okay, time for you to answer a few things. But first, when the time comes, tell her that I've got the costume for her, and that she has to pick it up from me," Kaze stated.

"Why? Why can't you just give it to me to give to her?" he blinked, almost lost.  
"Consider it a condition for helping you," she returns.  
"Alright, what do you need to know?"  
"Ginoa and John are still planning to be gone the rest of the week, right?" she asked.  
"Last we heard, yes," he answered with a nod. "Unless there is a monster call, that is."

"Alright then, which security cam is the most out of the way, and out of sight of all the others?" was her next question.

"The cams are only used around the buildings, but there are a couple laser tripwires, and motion detectors farther out," he shrugged, thinking about it.  
"Needs to be a cam. There needs to be a ladder involved," she informed him.  
"You're planning to take it out, aren't you?" he arched an accusing eye.  
"The less you know about it the better it will be for you," the robot pointed out.  
"Point taken…" he finally answered. "Alright, the one on the back corner of the gym, pointing out at our little stretch of beach, it seems like the most isolated camera for you."  
"Good. Since John's not here, and I'm not a hundred percent on the security systems, I'm going to need her help to fix anything," she explains. "Now if you'll excuse me, I suddenly feel the need to go for a walk."  
"Lady, you are smooth," he admitted, impressed at how quickly she came up with the plan, and the fact that she was completely correct about how it would play out.

"Just don't give me a reason to prank you," she fires back from the door, heading out toward the river.

~~~15 minutes and one well placed pitch~~~

"Kaze, we have a security camera out. I will be requiring your aid in repairing it," Monique announced, after Kaze answered the cell signal routed through her com gear.  
"Okay, what do you need, and where are you?" Kaze asked into her wrist com.  
"Basic tool belt, replacement camera just in case, and the 10 foot folding ladder," Monique answers. "And it's the camera overlooking HEAT's beach."

"Alright. Give me a few to grab the gear, and I'll be right over," Kaze ended the call with a grin. "Nice call on having me grab a camera. You're not going to be able to fix that one. That pebble I threw, blew the back half of the casing to scrap," she giggled to herself as she gathered the requested items.

~~~Moments later~~~

"You managed that faster than I expected," Monique said as Kaze walked up and set the ladder against the wall.  
"I was in the school's garage when you called, so I only had to find the camera. Everything else was right there," she answered, handing over the tool belt and box containing the new camera, before turning back to setting up the ladder.  
"Good. The sooner this is fixed, the better I will feel," Monique nodded, quickly testing that the ladder was stable, before climbing up.  
"How bad is it?" Kaze asked.  
A string of softly spoken French profanity was her answer, before the spy finally announced, "This camera is shot. Literally. Give me the tools, and dig out that replacement."  
"Sure thing," Kaze replied, handing up the belt of tools, but making sure that Monique had to reach down a bit for it.

While the spy rapidly disconnected the wiring, and yanked the remains of the cam off its mount, Kaze changed into her armor, activated her flight pack, and slowly hovered up to a matching height. "Here you go," she says, taking the junked cam, and handing over the new one.  
"Merci," Monique breathed softly, most of her attention focused on her current task.

It only took a few more minutes and things were back in action, with the replacement camera resuming the duties of its fallen predecessor.

"Anything else we need to take care of out here?" Kaze questioned, landing, and going back to her human appearance.  
"Non. At least not until I can figure out what destroyed this," the French woman answered, hefting the remains of the cam.  
"Then I'll pack this stuff back to the garage," Kaze nodded, taking hold of the ladder.  
"One thing, before you leave," Monique turned and addressed the robot.  
"Whatcha need?" Kaze asked.  
"What do you know of the videogame "Soulcaliber"?" was the French spy's questioned.

If Kaze had a real stomach, it would have been full of butterflies. "Just the stuff I've seen on the net, why?" she answered, being careful to only use the absolute truth.

"I wish to put your manufacturing capabilities to use," Monique said while handing Kaze the tool belt. "But first I must have your word to keep this a secret."  
'What the hell?' was all Kaze could think, before answering, "Sure. What did you need?"  
"I would like you to create a replica of the "Ivy Blade" complete with its ability to transform into a whip like form," the spy informed her.

Quickly scanning the net for images, Kaze scratched her chin before answering, "This is going to take some time. I've got to figure out HOW to make it separate from one blade to that of the whip. Just making one form or the other would be a snap, but shifting between the two… all the little servos needed, and how to keep the blade locked together without falling apart… that's going to be tricky."

"If you are unable to work out the problems, I would appreciate it if you could warn me about it as quickly as possible," Monique returned with a nod.

"Oh, one thing," Kaze held up her hand. "Is this for you, or for someone else?"  
"Why do you need to know that?" the spy almost demanded.  
"Because if I CAN manufacture the blade, I'm going to be scaling it to whoever it's for," Kaze said matter 'o' factly. "Otherwise it's not going to look right in their hands."  
"Very well. It is for Rexi," Monique admitted. "And if she finds out I have informed you, you will develop several software issues in a short amount of time."  
"Got it. She'll never know you told me," Kaze promised, before gathering up the tools, and heading back to the garage.  
"Thank you for your discretions," the spy sighed before pulling out her palm-pilot and resetting the security grid.

'And thanks for all the motion capture scans,' the robot thought, while smirking to herself.

~~~An hour passes ~~~

"You look inordinately pleased with yourself," Jura remarks when Kaze drops by to see her at HEAT's main lab.  
"It's always nice to know that others think you're the only one that can do something seemingly impossible," she answered.

"Oh? What do they have you doing now?" Jura asked, looking up from her work.  
"Can't tell you," she smiled slyly. "I've been sworn to secrecy. But I will say it's related to Halloween."  
"In that case, I'll let you keep your secrets, this time," the Godzilla morph grinned at her.  
"So what are you up to?" Kaze asked.  
"Plotting all known "monster" sightings. Daikaiju, mutation, and legend," Jura answered, showing her lover the screen of her computer. "If this works like the others think it will, we may have an inside track on locating new monsters before they cause too much damage."  
"Jeez, home is just one big blob of color," Kaze remarked after searching out Japan and NMI.  
"Well, Daikaiju do tend to like stomping around that side of the pacific rim," Jura smiled happily while typing something in. "And here is the color code breakdown, so you can see who is the most active and where."

"Yeah, no big surprise, he pretty much owns Japan," Kaze smirked, noticing that the island chain was flooded with the color denoting Gojira.

"It's not just him, I had to put that on a filter level," Jura explained, hitting a few more keys, the color began to shift from dark green, to gold, to bright green, and finally to white, before starting over again.  
"I'm guessing Ghidorah, and Mothra, but who is the last color?" Kaze blinked, slightly lost.  
"Gigan," Jura answered. "Some of the others are more often spotted on outlying islands, but rarely on the mainland, so they just get flooded out by the others."  
"And obviously Ginoa owns New York," Kaze grinned, noting the small blip at the other side of the world map.  
"Pretty much. There have been several mutations that have cropped up in her back yard, but she's the main monster over here," Jura agrees.  
"Well, I'm going to get out of your hair, and go get to work on some of my own projects," Kaze said, giving Jura a quick kiss.  
"Remember, I get to pick the movies this week," Jura called back to the sex droid.  
"You remember, we agreed, no more Jackie Chan this month," Kaze shot back, before leaving.

~~~later that night~~~

"I've got to admit, these are very well done," Kaze grins after the credits roll on the last of a series of six movies. "We'll have to thank John for letting us borrow them," she adds.  
"Well, he got the better end of the bargain," Jura gave a mocking growl. "You let him have almost all of my Jackie Chan's in temporary trade."  
"Hey, I did ask you before letting him barrow them," Kaze reminded her with a gentle poke to the ribs.  
"I know. And YOU know I have a possessive streak," Jura shot back, lightly slapping away the prodding finger.  
"Gojira's are territorial," Kaze agreed.  
"But on the plus side," the G-girl gave a wicked grin. "I have finally settled on our costumes."  
"Oh? What are we going as?" Kaze asked, having been waiting for this, especially since she'd been helping half the people on the wharf with their Halloween preparations in some way.

"When we started watching these movies, I did a little searching, and I found a few costumes that we can pull off fairly easily," Jura admits. "But we are going to need to build those "toys" Maizy designed. And you are going to have to create half of your costume, and we are going to need to use your make-up kit on you. You're going to need to grow your hair out for it."

"How far," Kaze asked, not sure she was happy about the idea of longer hair.  
"Down to about here," Jura grinned, rubbing the back of robot's knee.  
"Say what? That's…." she trailed off as something occurred to her. "You are going to put me in the slave costume, aren't you?"  
"You are far too clever sometimes," Jura pouts, slightly annoyed that Kaze had already figured her out.  
"The hair gave it away. No one else in these movies had hair that long," Kaze told her. "So what are you going to be going as?"

"I found something when I did that search, and I think it should be fairly easy to make," Jura replied, getting up and bringing her computer over from the kitchen table. Starting it up, she rapidly scanned through the files she had collected for this, before showing Kaze. "I think it should be pretty easy. Thanks to Darcy, I've already got some clothes that are dark enough, I just need to add a few things, and it will all come together."

"This is going to be one hell of a Halloween," Kaze grinned, shaking her head slightly.  
"Make sure you get lots of pictures so we can send them back to Zoe," Jura agreed.  
"We do have a slight problem though…" Kaze trailed off, standing up and moving over to her own laptop.  
"Really?" Jura blinked, moving up behind her.

"These are the plans for those swords," Kaze noted. "Maizy managed to convince the Mothras to help with the needed crystals." Said the bot as she pointed to the problem. "We don't have that option. If I start now, I can generate a single crystal, but that won't help with the second one."

"…..I think it's time to put something to the test, but I'm going to need you to do the hard part of it," Jura murmured after a moment.

"What do you have in mind?" Kaze wondered, following as Jura headed into their bedroom.  
"This," was Jura's answer, as the crystal saber leaps from its resting stand and into her hand. "I have it on good authority that it posses its own version of my regeneration abilities."  
"Wait, you want me to…" the sex doll trailed off, shocked at what Jura was suggesting.  
"Yeah... look, I can't bring myself to test this theory, and I'm not sure I'm tough enough to do it," Jura admits.  
"You're certain about this?" Kaze asked, shock still apparent on her face.  
With a nod, Jura held out the sword and orders, "Put on your armor, so you don't hurt yourself."  
"Not here. We do this over in the hanger," Kaze counters.  
"Alright," Jura agrees, sheathing the blade.

~~~Oh Snap~~~

"Set it on that bench," Kaze directs, pointing to one of the work tables, while she touches her choker and changes from her human looks to her Mazinger armor.

"I hardly get to see you like that anymore," Jura smiled at her.  
"Not much call for the battle armor around here," Kaze grins back, taking her place over the sword. "Last chance to change your mind," she warns.  
"Do it," Jura ordered, closing her eyes tight.

Without another word, Kaze laced her fingers together, and raises them over her head. Bringing the double fist down with all the strength she had outside of her combat mode. With a walloping boom, Z-alloy slammed into magically forged crystal. The impact was so great, that Jura could feel it through the soles of her feet.

"Now that is impressive," Kaze remarked as she picked up the blade, noticing only a single hairline crack at the point of impact.  
"I knew it was strong," Jura whistled in surprise. "But I can't believe it stood up to that…"  
"Well, give me some credit here," Kaze snorted, clearly annoyed that the sword took her best shot and was now silently mocking her. "I'm not done yet."  
"What are you planning?" Jura tilted her head, as Kaze placed the hilt of the blade in a vice, and tightened it down securely.

Silently Kaze motioned for Jura to stand where it was safest, behind her. When the G-girl was out of the way, Kaze hefted her right arm, and sighted down the length of it. "It can stand up against my strength," she says. "So it's time to raise the stakes. TURBO SMASHER PUNCH!" she snarled, her forearm armor spinning up into a blur before being launched in the signature Mazinger Rocket Punch.

The impact shatters the blade around the area of the crack, revealing smaller, micro fractures that where hidden from sight before. "I thought that one would do the job," Kaze remarked, collecting the shards after her arm has re-attached itself.

"Then give me the rest of the shards and find me a high powered light," Jura ordered, gently freeing the hilt of her sword from the vice, and laying it on the bench, before collecting the other pieces from Kaze.

Setting the chosen shard off to the side, Kaze does as requested, returning with an incredibly bright light designed for illuminating large sealed areas, such as inside large box trailers.

"I was told that as long as it can charge itself, it is possible that the largest portion of it can re-grow itself into its original shape," Jura explains. "I'm hoping that having the extra shards will help it reform faster."  
"Who told you all that?" Kaze finally asked. "'Cause I'm pretty sure that Crystal's creations can't normally do that kind of regenerating."  
"Sources that know far more than any of us, and have absolutely no reason to lie to me," Jura responded cryptically.  
"Who? You've never let anyone examine that blade since Crystal gave it to you," Kaze demanded, growing frustrated.  
"The last time you saw them, one was attempting to level NMI, and the other was helping us stop him," Jura told her with a tired smile. "They haven't had anything to tell me since then," she adds.

Kaze ponders that for a few minutes, until Jura's remarks start to make sense.

"Do you have any wide tape?" Jura asked her, attempting to arrange the broken crystals into the proper shape.  
"Your dreams," Kaze whispered, the surprise making her look for the tape without any further comment.  
"Yes," Jura quietly answers. Once she had fit the shards into something like the old shape, she moved the light over and plugged it in, aiming it to shine of the remains of her beloved sword.  
"No tape," Kaze reports. "But there is Duck-Tape in the garage, want me to fetch it?"  
"Don't worry about it," Jura tells her, moving away from the work bench.  
"Really think this work," the robot asked quietly, looking over what Jura had done.  
"I hope so. I would hate to think we destroyed it, just for a few shards," her voice quivers slightly. "I'm going back to our room."

"I'll be there in a sec," Kaze called after her, changing out of her armor. "And suddenly I think I need one more of these," she remarked, looking over the collected pieces, and selecting a similar sized one to match the other she had already set aside. Placing them into a dark box, she sets them off to the side, so she can work out details while having the fabricator make the synthetic gem she wanted for the project.

"This is going to be one hell of a party, one way or the other," she said, before heading to the lift and taking it to the main floor, actually beating Jura back to their quarters somehow.

"You want to go that far?" John squawked when Kaze finally give him an answer on tricking out his car.

"Even if we go with your original plan, it's still going to have the same old plain steel frame and stuff under the Z armor panels," she explained. "We go this way, and the only things you need to worry about afterward is someone shooting out the tires."

"What about the windows?" he asked, still bewildered.  
"Not going to happen. They're going to be the same stuff as the Pilder's canopy. And I'd have to literally try 'n' stuff the 'Kaisers fingers though said canopy, to break it," she responded.  
"And it's going to look just like it does now?" he hesitantly put the question to the robo-girl.  
"Well, you're going to need to move all the trim and interior, because I'm not fabricating all that stuff, and I priced it out, you don't want to buy a new interior," she answered. "By the way, the Charger has a lot of empty space under all that metal, hope you don't mind, but I have a few other ideas to go with this project," Kaze grinned.  
"um… I don't mind," he scratched his chin thoughtfully, rapidly getting excited about this idea. "So when do you plan to have it done?"

"Consider it a Christmas present," Kaze remarked. "I'm going to ask Jura to suggest a few things too, so it's going to be from the both of us, to you and Ginoa."  
"You don't need to go though that much trouble," John told her. "You two have already done so around here."  
"Maybe, but you asked, and after sorting out other projects, and thinking about it for a while, I decided that we are going to do it," she gave his arm a playful punch. Then with a smirk, she asked, "What color do you want it?"

"Mat black…"  
"Say what," Kaze blinked, slightly taken aback.

"I want her panted a flat black," he responded to her. "No gloss, no pearl, no shine. I want the Charger to be able to hide in the dark, to disappear in shadows." John said as they both turned to look at the Dodge. "Like your hanger and HEAT HQ, I want it to look old on the outside, while hiding her real inside power."

~~~White Sands Military Base~~~

"What the hell do you mean Site Omega has been leveled?" Colonel Anthony Hicks, commander of Monster Taskforce 1, the team sent in to deal with newly discovered mutations, roared when the news of his island zoo reached him.

"We just got word sir. Apparently the attack happened last month, and it took two weeks before we got word from the supply ship. Rumor mill has it that someone way up the food chain clamped down on anyone who knew anything," his aid, Lt. O'Neal, answered, not phased in the slightest by his bosses demeanor after all this time.

"I want details. Get me the low down on what happened out there, and get it ASAP," Hicks barked, his face red.  
"On it," O'Neal answered with a quick salute before rushing out of the office.  
"Now to work this from my end," Hicks grumped, royally pissed that this was kept from him, since it's his people and HEAT that had put the monsters IN that particular prison. Dialing the phone he waited impatiently for an answer, his fingers beating a tempo atop his desk until the line was picked up at the other end, "Hey Bill, its Tony. I just heard some very interesting news…"

~~~Meanwhile at a hidden base… somewhere~~~

"Who dares Intrude on me!" a dark armored figure hollered, slamming a fist into the wall after senescing that some stranger had slipped into his hidden hideout and was now standing behind him.

"Oh really Dr. Hell, is it that big a surprise, that I was able to locate you?" Geisha questioned, strutting out from the shadows.  
"You again, harlot!" he snarled, drawing his great ebon blade. "Your foolishness allowed them to completely destroy Bardos Island!"  
"As I recall, you where soundly defeated in that battle as well," she put forth the fact, warily eyeing his sword.  
"Yes, I underestimated the capabilities of my opponents," he sneered, his grip tightening on the blade's hilt. "But that was a personal failure, your entire plan was a disaster!"  
"Put a cork in it Doc," Geisha sighed, crossing her arms under her bosom. "I didn't come here to fight you."  
"Then stand there and allow me to cut you down," he growled, taking up a battle stance.  
"Care to hear my offer first?" she arched an eyebrow as she somehow slipped past him to inspect his work area.  
"Your "offers" mean nothing to me," he said though clinched teeth, preparing to charge.

"Not even if I can give you a base to operate from," she questioned while her optics did a speed scan of the blueprints covering his work space. "One that will have the capability to reconstruct your fleet of robot monsters?"

"Why would you be so willing to give me such access to your sorely depleted resources?" he demanded, the offer surprising him.

"I need your help," she tells him, all pretence and teasing gone. "In a recent endeavor, one of my prized lieutenants was injured in such a way that we can't do more than prolong her life by a matter of days. I want you to download her mind into a new body for me."

"You would give up so much for a single soldier? How odd," he remarked, lowering his blade and considering this deal.  
"Her loyalty is unquestioned," Geisha remarked. "And that kind of soldier is quite hard to replace."  
"Very well, I'll enable you to save this life, and in return, I get free reign in the facility you promised, with NO interference from you and yours," he clarified the terms, just to be sure.  
"Agreed," she responded. "We have a bargain then?"  
"Indeed," he nodded slowly, not able to find a down side to the deal for him. "Now, I assume you already have a new body for her?"  
"Being constructed as we speak. But I have no one who is able to save her mind, which is why I have searched you out," Geisha admits, as the pair of evil masterminds headed towards her waiting transportation.  
"I trust that you plan to put her in a purely mechanical construct, correct?" he questioned, attempting to ascertain what he had to work with.  
"Yes," Geisha confirmed. "We are constructing her new body as a full cyberdoll,"  
"Interesting. I will need full disclosure of this technology, so that I may make sure that everything is compatible," he tells her.  
"Whatever is required, you will have. I do NOT want to lose this one," Geisha informs him, her voice turning into a snarl near the end.

~~~HEAT headquarters, the next day~~~

"Get it together people; we have reports of a new creature on the loose," Nick called as he blew through the lab, heading out to gather the others.  
"You heard him pointy ears," Elsie grinned, using Kaze's nickname for Jura. "It's monster hunting time!"

"What do I need to do?" Jura blinked, butterflies suddenly exploded in her tummy, as she is torn between panic and excitement.  
"Gather whatever you plan to take with you, and get to the 'Seeker ASAP," Elsie explains while retreaving her 'Hunting Kit' from under her desk. "We're gone as soon as everything is stowed."  
"Alright," she answered before dashing out of the lab, the older woman's enthusiasm infecting Jura.

"Yeah, I think she's going to fit in just fine," Elsie grinned, calmly grabbing a few items, and tossing them in her shoulder bag, before heading toward the boat, since most of the team had taken to the habit of leaving enough clothes for a few days on board for occasions like this.

~~~HEAT's docking bay~~~

"You will be responsible for maintaining security while we are gone," Monique was telling Kaze as Jura entered the cavernous bay where the HEAT Seeker made berthed.  
"But," Jura blurted out in surprise. "I thought she would be coming too?"  
"Non. It would be foolish indeed to leave everything she has done without a caretaker while we are gone. But I will expect you to remain close to the communications center, since you really have no need to leave it for food," Monique informed the G-morph, adding the last part as she glanced back to scrutinize Kaze.  
"Got it," she answered her boss with a nod. Turning to Jura, she gave her an little smile, and said softly, "Sorry babe, but this time you got to go, sorry I won't be there to cover your back."

"I'm going to miss you," Jura whimpered, pulling the taller robot into a hug that would do Zuki or Nita proud.  
"You know how to get a hold of me, and I'm going to be pissed if I don't hear from you at least once a day," the redhead smirked, gently rubbing the back of Jura's head.

"TODAY LADIES!" Nick yelled down from the open bridge, telling them in no uncertain terms to hurry the hell up.

"Go. And think about the reunion when you get back," Kaze smiled warmly at her lover, gently pushing her toward the gangplank.  
"Oh, alright," the dark skinned girl whimpered, dragging her feat as she boarded the ship.  
"Take care of her," the robot warned, speaking into her wrist radio. "I'm going to rip someone's head off if she gets hurt!"  
"Don't sweat it Red. Between her, Ginoa and the rest of us, it's as good as handled already," Randy sent back. "Try to keep the other girls from making too big a mess while we are gone, eh?"

"No promises, hacker man," Kaze returned as she stood and wave to Jura, who stood on the Seeker's bow. The G-girl waved back enthusiastically until the ship had backed out of the building before speeding away from sight. "Damn it…" she sighed to herself.

"You'll never get used to it, trust me."  
"Huh," Kaze almost jumped, not realizing that Maddy had quietly sidled up next to her. "How, where… what do you mean," she blinked, wondering why she hadn't heard the girl join her on the dock.  
"The whole 'being left behind', while your G-girl goes off on a monster hunt," she flashed a lopsided grin. "Johnnie's been part of HEAT for several years now, and I can tell you, he still has problems when he has to stay behind… usualy do to collage work, or because Hick's needs him to do something military…"  
"But John got to go on this one," the robo-girl pointed out.  
"Only because it involves Isle del Diablo," the smaller saurian shrugged, before clarifying. "That's Omega's true name, and since Site Omega is a military base, Johnnie had to go."  
"Well, since you seem to know so much, maybe you can give me some advice," Kaze sighed as she turned away from where the Seeker had once been. "What does John do to keep from worrying about Ginoa when she's away?"  
"He busies himself with the odd jobs that need to be done around the depot," the K-jr shrugged as she moved to the stares, 3 of her clones appearing and following. "he fixes things, takes care of FlatTop, works on his car… works on me…"

Chuckling to herself, and having already been informed of John, Ginoa n Madison's relationship, Kaze watched them depart before shaking her head. "But Madison's right, since I don't have anything else to do, it's time to devote everything to the pile of side projects I've managed to collect," she said, slowly walked out of HEAT and toward the "Mazin-Cave" as Randy jokingly put it, once she'd disclosed everything she had done.

~~~The HEAT Seeker~~~

"Ok Worm Guy, the trail starts on Omega. I want to know everything you guys can dig up on what did this," Hicks said, his face filling the screen of the video feed while the HEAT Seeker sat waiting it's turn though the Panama Canal. "I've already cleared you and the crew to do all the poking around you could want there. I want this… whatever it is… found, and at the very least, locked up next to the scorpion."

"We'll do our best, but given what you've told us about how long ago the attack was, I'm not sure we'll be much use in figuring out where it is now," Nick glanced up at the vid-screen, with the rest of the team, and Jura, arrayed around the Seeker's galley, while John waited to pilot the ship thought the last set of locks.  
"If your pet computer hacker can recover the radar logs from the mainframe, you might have more to go on," Hicks offered.  
"Hey, I'm no one's pet," Randy snapped at the screen.  
"Really? That's not what she said," Ginoa smirked, pointing at Monique, who had simply arched an eyebrow as she glared back at him.  
"An exception to the rule," he countered weakly with a loud gulping noise, getting a chuckle out of everyone.  
"You mentioned that there where tracks?" Nick asked, returning to the subject at hand.  
"A few. Reminds me of tracking the giant iguana in Central America," Hicks answered, exasperation becoming plain in his voice. "I still can't figure out who clamped down on this. We should have been informed as soon it was discovered, but I can't find out who issued the gag order."

Knowing of the Major's clearance rating, this made everyone sit up and take note.

"Well, it sounds like we all have our work cut out for us," Nick said while running his right hand though his hair. "We'll give you call the moment we arrive on site."  
"I'll see you then, 'cause I'm already here," Hicks answered, signing off.

Turning to the rest, Nick put out the question, "Despite not having anything to go on yet, any suggestions as to what It might be?"  
"It sounds terrestrial, most likely amphibious, from what little the Major had to say about it," Jura offered weekly.  
"What makes you say that?" Elsie blinked, surprised that she would have opinions so soon.  
"I've seen the footage from the original hunt for the American Godzilla," she answered. "Hicks said that there where foot prints, and it reminded him of that time. An airborne creature, such as Rodan, wouldn't need to land, and if it was something snake like or strictly aquatic, he wouldn't be able to recognize its tracks, I don't think," she answered as she looked up from her laptop.  
"Good points. Anyone else?" Nick glanced about the room.  
"Merely hoping for some mutation, rather than one of the Daikaiju already identified," Monique returned. "Even with Ginoa and our newest member, we are hardly properly equipped to take on one of the great beasts."

"Well, it's safe to say it WASN'T the original Godzilla," Randy added over the top of his new and most favorite toy.  
"Thank God," muttered Craven.  
"What do you have?" Ginoa wondered, watching the hacker type away.

"Well, with our heading up DKA-New York, and Lt. John-boy, we ended up with security clearances' out the wazoo… when it comes to monster stuff," Randy explained. "So I just dialed up the guys keeping an eye on the big G's naptime spot, and they replied that he's still parked there, and has been since NMI collectively kicked him out."

"Well that is good news. It took eight mechs, 3 monsters, me, and the collective might of all the k-morphs, along with the Atragon to do that," Jura tells them. "We might be tough, but we're not that tough," she added, smiling at Ginoa, who grinned back and nodded in agreement.

"Okay, Randy, Jura, you two see if you can eliminate any other monsters from the suspect list before we get there. Monique? Do what you do," Nick ordered as the team broke up.  
"I will ask my superiors, and add their information to what we get," she gave a curt nod of understanding.

"Since I have nothing else to do," Ginoa grinned, before slipping out of the room. "I'll go keep Johnnie company on the bridge."

"I'm going to go pull a list of large native animals to that region, see if we can narrow down what it might be that way," Elsie chimed in, heading toward the lab.  
"Alright, I'll check in with home, and make sure that the girls haven't slipped Dr. Tuckers leash," Nick smirked, turning back to the radio room.

~~~DaiKaiju Academy New York~~~

"Hey doc, trouble already?" Kaze perked up when the signal came in.  
"How did I end up with you? This was supposed to go to M'gara," Nick sputtered in surprise as her face flashed to life before him.

"Oh, I re-routed all incoming transmissions from the HEAT Seeker to the control room in the Mazin-Cave, so that I could direct access them with my personal com gear. Set up a secondary feed from the wharf security gear to do the same. Now I can be anywhere in our turf, and still be by the radio, since it's both in my head and one in my wrist," she answered.

"Cute trick," Nick sighed before clarifying why he called. "Was just calling to give Dr. Tucker a heads up, looks like she'll be on her own with the girls for a while, and to make sure that Maddie isn't getting too out of hand."  
"I'll pass it along, and tell her to call if she needs anything. Oh…um….you don't object too much if I knock some of the girls around do you? Provided it's required that is," Kaze asked, seeing as how Monique wasn't around to keep the piece.  
"If it's needed, then that's what it takes, but I don't want you starting anything with them, or egging them on until they start it with you, Clear?" Nick demanded.  
"Crystal. I just wanted to preemptively avoid a chewing out like Jura got that last time," Kaze returned.  
"Consider it covered," Nick smirked at the video feed, signing off.

~~~Meanwhile at a hidden base… again~~~

"So how do you feel?" Geisha asked as she bent over her reborn Lieutenant.

Looking over her gleaming golden armor as a systems report scrolled past her optics, "I appear to be in perfect working order, Mistress," She answered.

"Now, That isn't what I asked, was it?" Geisha gently rebuked her.  
"My apologies. I feel fine. Better than ever, to be honest. All the dull lingering aches that I had learned to ignore are gone, and I feel so much more powerful," the new cyber-doll said as she clenching golden alloy fists, complete with retractable talons in the fingers.  
"I'm pleased the upgraded body makes you happy," Geisha smiled, gently sitting down in a nearby chair.

"Oh, I'm more than happy, Mistress," she purrs as she slipped out of her recovery bed. "I'm almost tempted to thank that fucking scorpion monster for attacking me. But I'd rather shove its tail down its throat," she growled, while slinking over to Geisha and sliding into her lap.

"Cyra, you will ever be my most loyal soldier. And now that we have reclaimed my lost pets, it's time to re-leash our beast," Geisha returned, her smile widening into a mischievous grin. "But first, I think it's time we took your new body for a test drive," her fingers finding the releases for her golden dragons external plating, and exposing the smooth golden flesh beneath. "After all, we must make sure that ALL your systems are properly calibrated, before you return to the field."

"Yes, Mistress. Do with me as you will," Cyra gasped, the sensations spreading through her new body even sharper than her old organic parts could ever offer.  
"Oh, I plan to. Now and always, you belong to me," Geisha reminds her, skillful fingers working over her plaything.  
"Yes!" Cyra screamed the first of what Geisha planed to be many orgasms for the both of them.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Jura questioned, from the door to the inner bridge of the Seeker.

"Not really," Ginoa cooed as she stood behind her mate, her arms wrapped about his middle, her forehead resting against his back.  
"What's up Jura?" John asked, shifting the wheel 3 points to starboard to keep the boat on course and at speed.  
"You look like you've lost your best friend," Ginoa adds, taking a closer look at the other k-girl as she slowly pulled away from Johnnie.  
"More like left a part of myself behind," Jura breathed, with a tired attempt at a smile.  
"I'm sorry Kaze couldn't come, but Monique is usually right about this kind of thing," John offered.  
"My head knows that," Jura answered with a sigh. "But the heart doesn't always pay attention to it."  
"So how can we help?" Ginoa wondered aloud, moving away from her man and wrapping the true G-girl in a half hug, pulling her into the little group.  
"Teach me how to drive the boat," Jura asked hopefully. "It should take my mind off of it for a while."  
"That we can do," Ginoa grinned, pointing out the various controls and functions, while John adds this and that little tidbit of information.

~~~DKA-NY… guess what happened~~~

"Hello? Monique, I could use you and Ginoa over here! Now!" Dr. M'gara Tucker yelped when Kaze answered the ringing line.  
"Sorry Doc, but the 'Seeker hauled anchor a couple of hours ago," Kaze spoke into her wrist com. "Anything can I do for you?"  
"I've got a full blown super brawl going on over here, and at least three down and out already, with a couple more incapacitated," she yelled back, over the sound of furniture being destroyed in the background. "I need someone strong enough to put an end to this idiocy!"  
"Be there in a minute," Kaze replied, already halfway across the hanger.

When she finally arrived, the komodo twins are both unconscious on the floor, and Sonia has been glued spread eagle to the floor as well. Gidgit was fighting with a face full of glue, and Yuki was trapped in Bukke's coils. The only people it seems not involved were Pepper, Nile, and Tessy along with Seiryu and Senjyu.

"Why the hell didn't you two help break this up?" Kaze demands of the boys as she stepped up.  
"What! Are you nuts? I like my important parts where they are, thank you very much," the normally aggressive Gigan morpher, shook his head.  
"As much as I hate to agree with him, he's right," the other explains. "We COULD break up the fight, but everyone we stopped would see it as a personal challenge, and I don't need to be ambushed every time I turn around."

"Oh, for the love a…" Kaze mutters, spinning on her heel, and stalked toward the fight. Her first target was the strongest, yet most reasonable of the lot: Nita… Grabbing an upraised hand, and catching a reflexive punch, Kaze yelled in her face, "Fights over, help the injured!" Seemingly waking up out of a trance, Nita nodded, and scooted off towards Modo and his sister.

"For my next trick," Kaze muttered to herself, locking her gaze on Bukke. Emerald green energy beams flashed from her eyes, bathing the snake girl in an emerald light. Almost instantly, she started to writhe n snicker, then an explosion of hysterically laughter took the snake girl. Unable to do anything other than to curling herself into a ball, Yuki quickly slipped from her hold, while Bukke attempted to fight off the effects of what Zuki had dubbed "The Giggle Mazer".

Freed of the crushing coils, Yuki immediately pulled out a special chemical used to dissolve the snake-girl's glue, quickly freeing Gidgit and Sonia. Yet Kaze was still on the move, side stepping toward the three M-girls who where ganging up on Draga. With a quick flick of her servo motors, the bot-girl bashed Nina and Reza together, knocking them out cold, before gabbing Daisy, and tossing her across the room. "Fights over girls," Kaze announced in a loud voice as those still conscious look on in shock at how quickly she dismantled the brawl.

"Like hell it is," Daisy gave a snarl, already up and rushing back toward Kaze.

Kaze just smiled, and grabbed the girl, shifting into a hold where she was standing behind the Deep Dweller, pinning her arms back. It was at that point she held up her free hand which started to buzz and began shifting her hand up and down the girl's body.  
"Wha…What are you…you doing?" Daisy let out a gasp, her body suddenly assaulted by a wave of sensations.  
"Giving you something else to focus all that energy on," Kaze smirks, releasing her after a moment.

Daisy whimpered and moaned, her own hands continuing where Kaze left off, rubbing her own chest and crotch vigorously, attempting to find some relief from the heightened state of arousal she's suddenly found herself in. Turning to the rest, Kaze ordered the boys, "You two, take the twins to the infirmary." Turning to Nita, she asked, "Can you take Daisy back to her room?"

"Yeah, I don't think she's in any shape to fight back, now," the worm girl answered, smirking at Daisy's condition, before moving over and lifting her into her arms like an oversized baby.

Once Nita and the boys had left with their burdens, Kaze sidled over to Where Dr. Tucker was helping Sonia up from her spot on the floor. "You okay Sonia?"

"Bruised, and I REALLY need a shower," the bat girl griped, holding her ooze covered arms away from her equally covered body in disgust.  
"C'mon, I'll help you get cleaned up," M'gara said as she gently gave the bat a scritch behind the ears, getting a smile out of the batgirl.  
Glancing towards the others who were still standing around, Kaze questioned, "Can you girls get the rest of the injured to the infirmary? I need to get back to what I was doing."  
"Yes, we can complete the cleanup. Thank you for your intervention," Nile nodded.  
"It's one of the reasons I'm here," Kaze tossed over her shoulder on her way out the door.

~~~Somewhere in the world~~~

"Why must I be plagued by these constant interruptions?" a man snarled as he stomped away from his test tube filled work bench and high powered microscope to answer the video call. Yet upon seeing just who's on the other end, his demeanor rapidly shifts. "My dear Lady in red, what can I do for you? Another lucrative project I hope," he oozed, his smarmy attempts at charm rather disgusting to watch.

"Depending on your answers to a few questions I have for you," Geisha answers, Cyra clearly visible over her shoulder.

"Is there a problem with the Creature I created for you," he blinked, honestly puzzled. "I thought I had fulfilled all your requests?"  
"All but one, Doctor. I was distracted by an emergency during its first field trial, and was forced to leave it to its own devices for an extended period of time," she explains, yet her cheerful sounding voice rapidly turned venomous. "Now I can't seem to call it back for rest and healing. Why is that?"  
"How far are you currently from where you lost contact with it?" the man asked, attempting to puzzle out why his creation was not functioning the way he designed it to.  
"Half a world, Doctor," she answered.  
"And where did your test take place?" was his next question. "I'm not asking for a detailed answer, more of a setting."  
"On an island," she responds, wondering just where he is going with this. "Somewhere in the South Pacific."

"Ah, all right, here are some suggestions for retrieving the beast," he offers. "First off, its receiver is limited to less than one hundred miles. Close enough to monitor and control, far enough away that you can avoid official entanglements. You are simply out of range of calling it home. Secondly, the main D.N.A. set used isn't native to islands, and we gave it the ability to fly. Find the nearest mainland area where a big cat would be at home, and begin your search there."

"It will be done," Cyra snapped a salute when Geisha looked to her.

After her subordinate had left, Geisha swiveled back to the screen. "Thank you Doctor. If that proves useful, I will see to sending you a bonus."

"Always a pleasure," he smirked.

"But I'm not quite done yet," she adds, pre-empting his attempt to cut the connection.  
"Oh? But I thought that was all you needed," he questioned, pouting at the fact that he couldn't get back to his work.  
"There is still the matter of the new project," she flashed him a sweet smile.  
"Of course, of course," he returned all smiles again. "What perversion of science can I create for you this time?"  
"Your genetic manipulation is masterful, and I am aware that you have managed to clone dead creatures back to life," Geisha sat back in her command chair. "How are you at human, or better yet, near human cloning?"  
"Baseline human is so pedestrian that it's boring to even think about," he reacted like he had just tasted something bitter.

"Spyra? Show him what we have," Geisha ordered.

"Yes, Mistress."

The good doctor nearly jumped out of his skin for the response came from directly behind him. Spinning around, he finds another robot, this one armored in purple, and sporting four spider legs in addition to the normal arms and legs one expects to see on a humanoid figure. "How!" he sputtered, falling away from her in surprise. "My security is supposed to be impregnable!"

"There is no such thing. Not when I'm involved," Spyra grinned at him, her fangs showing.

"My guard creatures had best not be damaged. They are rather expensive to create," he glared back at the screen, and the smirking Geisha.

"Not a mark on them," Spyra said reassuringly. "Now Doctor, if you will take a look at what I have brought you," She waved, motioning him back to his work bench, where there was now a large sample box, covered in biohazard markings.  
"How DID you manage to get in here?" he wondered, watching as she opened the case to display several tiered racks of sealed test tubes.  
"Trade secret," She quipped, handing him a thick folder.

Opening it, he is astounded by the photos and descriptions he finds within. Moving back in range of the vid-com, he regarded Geisha, "This material is fascinating. What do you wish me to DO with it?"

"I want a duplicate of each of those samples, Doctor. Grown to an approximate age of twenty years, and implanted during the growing process with a control chip so that they will have no recourse but to obey my commands," Geisha returns.  
"Do you mind slight pigment variations, or do you wish them to be "exact" copies?" he asks.  
"How "slight" are the deviations?" she arched an optic ridge.

"Usually, the other end of the spectrum," he answers. "White is black, light becomes dark, that kind of thing. But that is from the original cloning process I have. I have been working to eliminate that little side effect, and have had some success, but the new process is more expensive."

"Go with the new process Doctor. If I am satisfied, I may contract you to grow a few with the old process, for my own Personal uses," she answers.

"As you wish, dear Red Lady. Dr. Anton Sevarius never disappoints, not when given such a bounty to work with," he practically cheers, turning from the screen and moving back to the bench, and the all important box of genetic samples.  
He paused only a moment to realize that Spyra had gone as mysteriously as she had appeared.

~~~The HEAT Seeker, 400 miles south of Hawaii~~~

"It's only the second day on this tub, and I'm bored out of my fucking mind," Jura whimpered into the earpiece/mic she had clipped to her right ear, as she stares intently at her computer screen.

"Hey, at least you can play the game to kill time, Most people in your situation wouldn't even be able to do that," Nita responded, sitting in front of her own computer back in new York, as the pair cut a bloody pixilated swath through the monster populations in Perfect World.

"True, but it's just not the same without Kaze around. I feel like a part of me is missing," Jura sighed, her character switching from glowing fists, to paired battle axes as he fights.  
"I didn't think you used those," Nita questioned as "Tits-o-Doom" used a special move that has a serpentine fire dragon spinning in a large circle around her character.  
"I need the practice chaining the moves together. They're way too slow for me normally, but they do more damage," Jura answered, mimicking Nita move for move.  
After a few more passes, the pair had cleared the area, and Nita had what she needed to collect the pay off on her quest. "Thanks for the assist," Nita said happily as her character boards her aerosword, and flies off to turn in the quest.  
"If you see Kaze before I get a chance to talk to her, tell her that I miss her," Jura sends, before logging out of the game.

"Now what am I going to do?" she mutters to herself.

~~~At that moment, outside the Mazin-Cave~~~

"Why do they always forget to figure us in when they design crap like this?" Snickers growled, as 3 of the Mini-G's assigned to work at HEAT formed a living ladder, the one at the top reaching for the doorbell/intercom for the hanger.

"Same reason they never expect it when we pop up and blow the shit out of something," Ratchet retorts from where she stood watching the others.  
"We are simply too good at staying out of sight, unless we need their attention," Squint adds from the middle of the pack.  
"Would you guys hurry up? My shoulders are starting to hurt!" Einstein yelled up from the bottom of the tower.

Smashing the "call" button down for a few seconds, before switching to the "talk" button, Snickers quickly called out, "Hey, Big Red! Open up, we need to talk to you!"

"So come inside and talk," Kaze smirked as she jerked open the door. The suddenness of the door opening upset Einstein's balance, and with a squeal, sent the lot of them tumbling into the hanger.

"You did that on purpose," Squint glared up at her from the floor.  
"Actually, no, I didn't. But then again, Einstein is the only one of you who's voice I know," Kaze returns. "Maybe next time you should make sure I can I.D. who it is out here?"  
"Wait, you DON'T have a camera on this door?" Squint sputtered in shock as the others dusted themselves off.  
"The whole DOOR is wired with stuff, but it's too easy to disable a visible camera, so that I don't have. And you guys weren't standing in the right place for me use any of that. Most people stand in front of the door when calling," Kaze replied, locking things up behind them all.

"Holey…" Einstein whistles, suddenly at a loss for words.  
"No wonder you keep it locked up tight all the time," Snickers cracked, as the four minis took in the inside of the hanger's first level.

"Yeah, would be a problem if the wrong type got in here," Kaze agreed, knowing that the odds of someone actually managing to activate the 'Kaiser and making off with him was nearly impossible. But it's that "nearly" part that keeps her on the side of paranoia when it came to security for her home away from NMI. After a moment of letting the miniature K-girls gawk, Kaze led them down to the living level and offered them a seat.

"So what did you guys need?" she asks.  
"We've overheard some of the conversations that have been going on involving you, and Halloween," Squint tells her.  
"We would like some help with costumes as well," Snickers adds.  
"It's not like they make things in our size anyway," Einstein muttered.  
"What did you have in mind?" Kaze asked as she sat back, taking mental notes.

"I wanted us to go as a detachment of the French foreign legion, but I was out voted," Squint replied in a huff.  
"Well, that's kind of good, because I don't think I could pull that off for you guys," Kaze chuckled.  
"The rest of us took a vote," Ratchet finally spoke up. "And we decided to go as Storm Troopers."  
"As in Star Wars? Why would you guys want to go as cannon fodder?" Kaze blinked in dismay.

"That was my argument too," Squint smirked, her arms crossed.

"I can do much better than Storm Troopers," Kaze said with a grin, getting up, she snagged her laptop and set it were all could see what she was calling up.  
"What do you have in mind?" Snickers asks, pictures flashing across the screen while Kaze looked for something in particular.  
"This," Kaze grins as she finds what she is after.  
"Oh, I like that," Squint grins. "HE isn't cannon fodder."  
"You mean THEY," Kaze corrects. "I've been doing a LOT of internet research lately, and he is just the most well known of them. They all have the same style of armor, but weapons and styles are all over the map."  
"Works for me," Snickers grins.  
"So what's it going to cost us?" Einstein asked the obvious question.  
"Well, I'll make them for you regardless," Kaze winked. "But I'd LIKE you guys to work with me and Jura, since we will be sharing the theme."

The four minis took a moment to share glances, a silent conversation, before Snickers finally turned to the bot-girl, "Ok, we're in."

"Great. Now I need to scan each of you guys, and I need you to answer some questions for what you want out of the costumes," Kaze grins, standing up and offering the group a ride on her shoulders back up to the hanger level.

"Think you can handle a little criticism," Squint asked from where she was still looking though Kaze's computer, as the bot-girl finished scanning Einstein and began prepping the fabricator for the job at hand.

"Always," Kaze returns, sending the data from one machine to another. "As long as it's constructive."  
"Then you might want to think about reworking Jura's costume," Ratchet adds from next to her comrade.  
"Why? I know she hasn't done much with the design of the costume itself yet, but the whole thing was her idea," she gave the minis a blank look. "So why should I make changes while she's not here to object about it?"  
"Mostly BECAUSE she's NOT here," Snickers retorted, walking past with a freshly popped bag of Jiffy-pop. "She's planning to go as a good guy, right?"

"Yeah…." Kaze drawls, sensing a trap, but not seeing it just yet.

"Since when did these guys own slaves," Squint deadpanned. "Isn't it against their code or something?"  
"…Damn, rather hard to argue against that kind of logic," Kaze stood, scratching her chin as the simple truth hit her like a rocket punch. "Any suggestions?"  
"Flip her coin," Ratchet answered with a shrug. "Same premise, same theme, just not so goody-goody anymore."  
"Back to the lap top girls. We have work to do," Kaze informed them, keying in a search on an art site for a certain type of character.

Once Kaze had taken her seat, the minis clustered around her and the computer, while the robot used remote commands to manipulate things around a little. "She had the right idea with the black on black, but the bad guys are always flashier than what she had in mind," Ratchet pointed out as they work through the search results, opening anything flagged by the minis into another window.

"Now that looks interesting," Kaze grins as they found renderings of a red alien woman, naked save for the intricate tattoos covering her body.  
"Yeah, something like that would go a Long way toward making her fit the bill," Snickers agreed between mouth full's of popcorn.  
"It's not possible though. First, she'd never tolerate getting tattoos, and secondly, I doubt we COULD tattoo her. Her healing factor would just void the dye," the sex doll shook her head slowly.  
"Who said anything about real tattoos?" Squint glanced up. "Body paint and/or make-up can take care of those."  
"Who's got a steady enough hand to do THAT kind of work?" Kaze blinked in wonder.  
"Hell, I could do that," Snickers piped up. "I'm the field medic for this troop, so I have the steadiest hands."

"I think Kaze was being rhetorical." Einstein rolled her eyes before pointing out. "She is a robot after all. No one in this room has steadier hands, plus, I think she would rather have the fun of painting Jura herself."

"…done in white against her dark hide…." Kaze mused aloud while they gazed at the screen. "She's going to be furious with me over this, you realize that right?" she said after a bit. "But the body painting will definitely be fun."  
"And given what we know that some of the others are doing, she is going to be the most striking person there," Squint grind.  
"Well, I don't know about that," Kaze smiled back. "I know for a fact that there are going to be a couple shockers from the others."

The mini's return quip was cut off by an alert that flashed up on the computer's screen, blocking their view of the naked alien, followed by a security cam showing the main entrance to the wharf and the news van currently sitting at the gate. "Great, company," Kaze mutters.

"Wonder what Audrey and Animal want?" Einstein tilted her head, after taking a closer look at the logos on the van.  
"I don't know, but I better get out there before they start poking around," Kaze sighed at the inconvenience as she stood and headed for the stairs, so she can simply jet to the main level.  
"So what do we do while she's gone?" Snickers blinked, regarding the others.  
"We keep working," Squint answered, as they went back to sorting through the results of the search for ideas to use on Jura.

"I don't get it, this gate is never locked. Everyone knows Ginoa is hell on trespassers, so why go to the trouble of keeping out people you trust?" Audrey Timmons, Nicks Ex and rising star journalist, asks while they glare at the blatantly locked gate.

"Well, they did build a privet school on HEAT's land," the man at the wheel of the van remarked. "And aren't privet schools usually surrounded by a fence or wall, I mean, that's what makes them privet, right?"

Slowly the blond turned and set her gaze on her cameraman, her silence speaking volumes  
"Right, what was I thinking," Animal said while he tried to sink into his seat, however, upon catching sight of a young girl moving their direction. "Say, why don't we ask her about all this?"  
"Can I help you?" the unknown girl asked, moving up to the driver's door, after hopping over the simple barricade blocking said vehicle.  
"We'd like to see Nick," Audrey tells her.  
"That's going to be a bit difficult since he and the rest of HEAT left a couple days ago on the 'Seeker," Kaze announced with a wry smile.  
"Well, that shoots that plan in the foot," Animal muttered mostly to himself.  
"Look," Audrey leaned past her cameraman, trying to charm her way past the redhead. "We wanted to do some interviews with the students, find out how they are settling in, what they think of New York, that kind of thing."  
"Okay, let me check, see if it's okay." Kaze gave a friendly smile as she stepped back from the van.  
"How can you check if they aren't here," Audrey asks in a bewildered voice.

"What, you never heard of cell phones?" Kaze shot back with a smirk, taking out the dummy she kept in her regular clothes to keep up appearances, while simultaneously placing a call directly to the HEAT Seeker on her internal com gear.

"Oi?" Monique answered from the other end.  
"Just who I needed," Kaze hid her relief from the two in the van. "Got some old friends of yours out here, from the news, says they want to run some interviews with the girls. Do I let them in, or send them packing?"  
"…They are supposed to clear things like that at least a week in advance, and I know nothing about such a deal. Allow me to check, and I will be back in a moment," Monique said, almost growling her response.  
"Okay," Kaze returned, taking the phone away from her ear, and looking at it in disgust. "I hate being put on hold," She told the newsy's, keeping up the appearance that she was actually using said phone.

After a moment, Monique could be heard returning to the communication room, with Nick in tow.

"Let me talk to them," Nick demands, clearly not happy.  
#"No can do boss," Kaze sent over the airwaves while on the outside she looked board. "I'm on my internal com. Unless you want to spill to the evening news who and what I am, it all goes through me."#  
"Very well, put in your own comments, but tell them in no uncertain terms that they need to clear such events with us before they try again, then inform them that you are maintaining the lockdown until we return," Monique orders, while Nick attempted to regain control of his temper at how Audrey was attempting to ignore the way they had agreed to handle things.

"Not a problem," Kaze grinned to herself, snapping the fake phone closed, and moving back to the van, while keeping her com-set on, so that Nick and Monique could hear everything. "Sorry, but the higher up's say you're not getting in without an appointment, one that you know full well you should've made a week ago if you where really here for the reason you say," she tells them, no longer smiling, but not quite into hostile mode, yet.

"Oh, c'mon, can't you bend the rules just this once," Audrey tried to talk her way past Kaze. "Nicky will never even need to know…"

#"Not taking "hit the road" for an answer," Kaze remarked over the com. "Want me to get rid of them?"#  
"I would love it, but you are not a killer, and it would raise unwanted questions," Monique sighed, probably getting a nasty look from Nick from her first comment.  
#"I meant forcibly ejecting them from the wharf," Kaze tells them, her tone saying that she thought Monique was joking, and that she didn't find it funny.#  
"No personal damage to either of them," Nick finally answered. "However, do what you think you need to. I'll deal with her, and the repercussions, when we get back."  
#"Okay, expect nasty phone calls when you get back then," Kaze signed off cheerfully."#

"….Why do I get the feeling I just screwed up?" Nick asked the spy while pinching the bridge of his nose…  
"Because you are far from stupid?" Monique smirked back. "She will do nothing to endanger or harm either of them. But I fear she is right about their reaction to whatever she has planned."

"Okay, it's like this," Kaze tells the pair. "Either you can leave peacefully, or I can forcibly remove you. The call is yours to make."  
"You can't touch us. Not only are we friends of HEAT, you hurt us, and every reporter in town will be on you like flies on dog poop," Audrey shot back, while tripping the automatic door locks.  
"Not a problem," Kaze grins evilly as she moves past the driver's door, bends down and grabs a hold of the frame rail. Lifting, she nearly tips the van over, before reaching under with her other arm, and hefting the van up onto her shoulders.

"Crap, forgot," the bot muttered, freeing her right hand to tap her chocker, changing to her battle armor while out of sight of the pair in the van, who are having fits. "Pipe down and hold on, it's a short flight," Kaze yelled up at them, shaking the van, before deploying her flight gear.

Leaping, the servos in her legs springing her high into the air, she fires up her jets and head for the sky. There is little the pair in the van can do but hold on for dear life, and watch as the wharf reseed from view. Meanwhile Kaze had accessed New York's online phone directory, looking for the address of their news office. Once she has it, she made a bee-line for the building, quickly changing back before gently placing the van on the rooftop heliport.

Now back in her human form, she stepped back over to the driver-side window. "I did warn you," she calmly waved at them, before walking over to the side of the building, and jumping over.

By the time Audrey and Animal clambered out and run to the edge, Kaze was halfway back to HEAT.

~~~ The HEAT Seeker~~~

"Ok, folks, we're about an hour out from Omega," Nick announced through the intercom. "Ginoa, Jura, I'd like you to do a bit of aquatic exploring when we arrive, see if you can find evidence of anything in the "giant monster" scale, having come ashore down there."

"We're not going to find anything dad, not after all this time," Ginoa spoke into the intercom speaker from the galley.  
"There might be broken coral, or other signs that wouldn't wash away," Jura said, closing up her comp.  
"You really think so?" Ginoa blinked, as the pair left the ship's kitchen and head for their cabins.  
"….Not really, but if we don't look, you know full well there WILL be a clue down there," Jura answered after a moment.  
"Yeah," Ginoa chuckled, "Murphy's a jerk."  
"Murphy?" Jura arched an eyebrow, completely lost.  
"Short for 'Murphy's Law' Jura," Ginoa explains. "Which says that anything that can go wrong, usually will. And the way our luck runs, at the worst possible time."  
"I know the feeling," Jura nodded in agreement, before ducking into her cabin.  
"I'll take the deeper waters, you get the shallows."  
"Got it," Jura agreed again, stripping out of her shorts and shirt, and pulling out the special clothes that she had asked Darcy for when she was informed that she would be going to America and study with the HEAT crew.

"I'm going now, Jura gets the shallows," Ginoa told those gathered on the deck before diving over the side.  
Moments later, she resurfaced in full monster mode, before diving again.

"Has Ginoa already gone?" Jura asked, stepping out onto the deck.  
"Whoa, chika, where did you get those threads?" Randy stood taken aback, getting his first good look at her "field clothes".  
"I asked Darcy to make them," Jura answered, holding her hands out and looking down at herself. "Are they inappropriate?"

The others paused a moment to take in the dark grey sports bra-type top, mesh sleeves, and bicycle style bottoms, along with the strange boots that leave her toes exposed, and harness, before looking at each other.

"No, it appears to be a very serviceable outfit for warm weather field work," Elsie said as she looked the girl up and down.  
"Good. I have another version that is more of a full suit, for colder weather," Jura happily told them as she moved toward the bow of the boat.  
"That girl has it more together than we ever have," Elsie whispered to the others.  
"I find it a refreshing change," Monique smirked, leaving the egghead to talk with Randy.

"Jura, time to go," Nick called, once the ship was close enough to the island.  
"Okay," she saluted before leaping from the deck, and arcing far enough out to be safe from the props as the boat passes.

~~~Site Omega~~~

"Took you guys long enough," Hicks barked as several dock hands ran forward to help tie up the Seeker.  
"If you wanted us here faster, you should have arranged a flight," Nick shot back jokingly, tossing mooring lines down to the waiting troops.  
"Where's my niece? I figured she would be waiting to land," the major questioned, when Ginoa hadn't yet appeared with the rest of the team.  
"The g-girls are checking the underwater approaches to the island for anything that might be out of the ordinary," Randy spoke as he practically bounces down the gangplank. "So where is this computer I need to work on?"  
"Wait, g-GIRLS?" Hicks gawked. "You guys are letting Maddie help on this one?"  
"Non. We have acquired a new helper from NMI," Monique answers.  
"She going to be any use?" he asks, leading the group toward the tent city that was the current Site Omega command center.  
"Since she can take the monsters on hand to hand? I think so," John nodded, now in full military dress, before adding a late, "Sir."

Anything further was interrupted when Ginoa surfaced out in the bay, before stomping ashore and roaring a challenge of ownership for the island. While this in itself usually sent chills up the spines of all who were watching, the fact that Jura was riding atop her head, made the whole thing seem slightly comical. Once assured that nothing was going to answer her claim, Godzilla bent down and allowed her passenger to disembark.

"There is nothing below to indicate that the monster came from the sea," Jura reported, as Ginoa stepped clear to change back to human form.  
"I didn't find anything either," she added, after John stepped over and wrapped her in a fluffy towel.  
"So you're the new team member," Hicks remarked, scrutinizing Jura with a wary eye while she stood there, salt water still dripping from her hair.  
"Yes sir. I hope I can be as much help as the others," she answered quickly.  
"I like her. Respectful," he gave a smirk, eyeing the rest of HEAT.  
"Is the Crystalmel still contained?" Nick wondered, taking in the devastation that had befallen the base.

"The monster pens were the only thing they didn't flatten," Hicks admitted. "And yeah, Chrissie is still safe and happy," he added, using the crystal scorpion's nickname.

"Show us the tracks, and have someone take Randy to what's left of your computers," Nick said, falling into step with the Major.  
"Over here," Hicks led them off, stopping near a waist deep hole in the sandy ground.  
"Yeah, this does feel eerily familiar," Elsie remarked, seeing the ladder leading up out of the hole.  
"Radiation readings?" Monique asked the most pertinent question, watching as Randy is herded off to what was left of Omega's mainframe by another soldier.  
"Just above background, but no telling if that's from everything that's been through here, or as a result of our latest visitor," Hicks answered.  
"These tracks are not saurian," Jura looked up after eyeing the footprint. "The talon pads are too short and round," she adds.  
"She's right Nicky," Elsie said while measuring the size of the 'toe' indentations. "I'd have to say whatever made these was a land mammal. Probably a gigantic cat."  
"Then how did it get here?" Ginoa scratched the back of her head. "We searched, and there is nothing showing that it came up any of the beaches.  
"We didn't find any tracks down there either," Hicks acknowledged. "Only up here, near the base itself."  
"If it is a land animal, and there is no evidence of it swimming here," Monique said in her usual calm tone. "Then the only remaining possibility is that it somehow flew here."  
"Besides the devastation, is there anything else of note here?" Jura wondered aloud.  
"Like what?" Elsie tilted her head.  
"Is there any evidence that the beast had help?" Monique clarified.  
"….I had assumed that they were among the dead, but now that you ask, I'm not so sure," Hicks muttered, suddenly turning and heading for the Pens in a trot.  
"What," Nick barked, as HEAT rushed to catch up.  
"We had a few additional guests stationed here, besides the scorpion," Hicks admitted as he huffed away. "Sent to us from NMI, about a year ago."  
"Two K-girls, one bat like, the other a nightmare given form?" Jura blinked, a sinking feeling forming in the pit of her stomach.

Stopping in his tracks, Hicks abruptly spun around, locking his eyes on the G-morph. "Details, Now," he demanded. "Everything you know!"

"The bat-like one is named Korgha, and the other is called Ezra," Jura took a step back. "They were guarding a Red Bamboo facility that was holding several kidnapped K-girls that they had captured. Among them, some of the children. I was with Kaze and some friends when the K-junior's managed to signal for help. We went in and got them back. Korgha's sonic attack is even able to disrupt the circuitry of Cyberdolls. Ezra is a monster. She can breathe fire, shoot eye beams, charge her head horn with energy, and create energy disks that she throws. She is blood thirsty, and can fly. I defeated her by throwing her into a roof top transformer… overloading her powers."

"But they weren't captured during that fiasco, where they," Hicks pointed out, already sure he had the answers.

"No. they had escaped by the time we freed everyone. They reappeared during that big attack last summer. They lead the commando mission against Atragon. I was off doing something else then, but I heard that Korgha was knocked out on the upper deck, and that Ezra made the nearly fatal mistake of getting between a mother and her child. Ms. Nami Kawa nearly beat her into submission before she got loose, at which point Maizy, and a teacher from the junior class teamed up to flatten her," Jura finished the story, having gotten all the details from Maizy after the fact.

Hicks gives her a nod, confirming that her information matched what he'd been given. "NMI asked if we could keep them here, since Omega's holding pens already had nullification nets. We subdivided one of the pens, in order to make the cells. The bat we managed to subdue with a special collar, a miniature to the one we used on Bruce, it neutralized her sonic scream. The other one…yeah, nightmare is a good description of her. We were finally reduced to keeping her in a medically induced Coma, just for our own safety," he finally admitted.

"And they are gone now…" Monique said dryly, clearly not happy with what she was hearing.  
"Yeah, I was told they escaped during the attack, but now I'm wondering if the attack wasn't just the smokescreen for a jailbreak," Hicks grumbled, leading them past were the scorpion was being fed from a white cargo truck.  
"You fought that?" Jura breathed, getting her first look at the Crystamel scorpion.

"Yeah, and it hurt too," Ginoa nodded, glancing at the stinger that caused her so much misery, and brought her so much joy. Then she looks closer at it, something odd catching her eye, "Has Chrissie been in a fight recently?"

"Not to my knowledge," Hicks looked back. "Why?"  
"Well, there's a stain on her stinger…"

"What?" Hicks demanded, quickly moving back toward where the monster girls stood.  
"See that dark patch near the tip?" Ginoa pointed said splotch out. "It's normally just as bright as the rest of her crystal shell, but now it's stained."  
"Is it safe for us to enter the pen? Or is it highly aggressive?" Jura arched an eye in question.  
"As long as you don't make her think you're going to take her food, she's pretty harmless," the Gino-morph admits.  
"Just a sec," Hicks broke in, blocking the girl's progress as he swiped a security card through the reader.

At his nod, Jura opened the door and stepped in, Ginoa right behind her.

"Someone came into the wrong room," Jura whispered, her nose catching a strange scent.  
"What is that? Smells like burnt electronics," Ginoa coughed, grimacing at the smell.  
"Sir? You where hit by Cyberdolls, and one of them got spiked by the scorpion," Jura announced, pointing to the patch of dried mech fluids on the ground and on the scorpion.  
"How do you know that?" Nick asked as he too joined the girls.

"When we went in after the kids," Jura began, dredging up an old memory she doesn't much care for, "We found them in a separate enclosure from the others. Kaze's oldest sister, Maizy, has a body scaled like a kids, and she was with them when they were taken. Geisha nearly ripped her in half. This isn't a smell I'm going to forget, no matter how much I may want to."

Ginoa laid a comforting hand on the other monster girl's shoulder, while the others absorbed her words.

"So it's a safe bet that it WAS Red Bamboo behind this," John muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose to stave off an oncoming headache. "Great, my guardian angel of death is at it again."  
"And from all appearances, they have a new weapon, a tamed Daikaiju of some sort," Monique adds dryly, still not happy that the red droid was keeping tabs on the teen, and she couldn't figure out how. "And she has reclaimed her lost troops."  
"Given the last time they stuck their noses into Omega, it's actually likely that the monster isn't natural at all," Elsie remarked thoughtfully. "If they can create the "Skeeter Virus", why not build themselves a Daikaiju?"

"Great, just what we need," a frustrated Hicks ran his hands though his hair. "As if that bitch having access to super robots wasn't bad enough, now she's growing her own monsters,"

"Hey guys, I found something!" Randy calls as he ran up.  
"Good news for us?" Nick asked hopefully.  
"I managed to salvage quite a bit of data from the computers," Randy quickly laid it all out for the team. "Including the radar logs. There was a Tanker ship about fifty miles out shortly before the place was hit. I cross checked with shipping lanes, and there wasn't supposed to be anything in this neck of the woods for two weeks. I'd say that was the transport."  
"Good (sniffle) work," Craven paused in his sarcasm to blow his nose. "But it still doesn't help us deal with the monster."  
"Yeah, it does," Ginoa broke in, a light shining in her eyes.  
"How so?" Monique asked, fairly certain they had both come to the same conclusion.  
"If the tanker was the transport, then the monster is small enough to fit inside it," the American Godzilla answered. "Even if they modified the hell out of it, that still makes the monster a lot smaller than most Daikaiju."

"And if that's the case, odds are it's week enough that enough normal military firepower can actually hurt it," Hicks began to grin, nodding his understanding.

"So, Geisha, or one of her helpers, was hurt by our large friend here," Monique nodded towards the crystal scorpion that happily ignored the intruders in her pen as she ate. "And at least one of the prisoners was in no condition to escape under her own power. Assuming that all of the strike team could fly, that means that at least three members, for they managed to escape with everyone."

"Three is more than enough, if they were all cyberdolls," Jura helpfully adds. "Three combat cyberdolls could have leveled this place without the monsters help. Kaze could do it alone."  
"Meaning," Ginoa blinked in question. "That the monster WAS nothing more than the way to cover their tracks?"  
"Doubtful," John shook his head. "Red wouldn't waist her time making a giant monster if she didn't have plans for it after hitting Omega."

"Now for the interesting question," Elsie smirked. When the others had given her their attention, she elaborated, "If the crimson bitch had two stretcher cases, and three able bodies, figuring there where only three on the infiltration team. If both remaining robots carried wounded, and the bat flew herself, who was keeping tabs on the monster?"

"Get me satellite surveillance on the horn, and get them searching the nearest mainland areas for anything that doesn't belong…" Hick orders into his radio. "It's possible we have a monster hiding in plain sight!"  
"Good work everyone," Nick smiles at his team, giving Jura a personal thumbs up.  
#Sir, Satellite Imagery just got back to us. They have been puzzling over a dark shape in the Philippine jungle for a week now,# O'Neal called back on the radio.  
"Saddle up! O'Neal, I want the combat teams ready to move in a half hour!" the Major orders over the radio. Turning to HEAT he adds, "That is all the head start your getting, so don't waste it."

"You heard the man, go, go, GO!" Nick orders, causing everyone to scramble back to the HEAT Seeker.

~~~Island Air flight 707 (Red Bamboo secret transport and spy-plane)~~~

"Mistress, nothing yet," Cyra reports from her monitoring station. "We have finished with Australia, and are now working our way north."  
"Understood. Make no mistake, Cyra, I want the beast back, and will be most displeased with failure," Geisha responded from HQ, the threat at the end very plain to the golden dragon mech.  
"I understand Mistress, There will be no failure this time," Cyra snapped a salute before signing off. Turning to the pilot of their search craft, she ordered, "Hurry up. We need to find the creature before it reveals itself to the rest of the world."  
"We're already traveling as fast as possible without drawing any undue attention, or suspicion," The pilot snapped back over his shoulder. "Remember, this is supposed to be a commercial flight, not the high performance bird she really is."  
"USELESS!" Cyra snarled to herself as she got up and moved to the rear hatch.  
"What are you doing ma'am?" the pilot called after her.

"Stepping out, so we can cover more ground," she answered, opening the door. Only her crushing grip on the handle and frame kept her from being sucked into the void beyond. Carefully slipping outside, she sunk her claws into the fuselage before forcing the door closed against the force of the wind. "Damn humans, how useless," she grumbled as she pushed off, letting the sleek aircraft to slip out from beneath her. Cyra allowed herself a moment to enjoy the thrill of freefall, before deploying her own wings and jetting off.

"That has got to be the ballsiest maneuver I have ever seen," the Pilot muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.  
"I'm just glad she shut the door behind her," his co-pilot chuckled to himself.  
"Stop with the jokes, and go take her spot at the search gear. We still have a job to do," the pilot growled darkly.

~~~Back in NY~~~

"So what do you guys think?" Kaze wondered while the mini-g's finished suiting up.  
"This kicks ass," Squint cheers, her black armor having flame designs on the arms and legs, as well as red trim around the visor.  
"I definitely like," Ratchet agreed, her red armor detailed so that it looks like she was a window into the heart of an explosion.  
"Are we really bullet proof now" Einstein asked what was to her, the most important question in the world, her midnight blue armor quite striking against the bright cement backdrop of the hanger.  
"We can always shoot you to find out for sure," Snickers retorted, her dark grey armor marked with a single red cross on her left shoulder, denoting her as the unit medic.  
"Now, now," Kaze chuckled happily. "Play nice you guys."  
"I definitely like the body suits we have underneath the armor too," Squint adds.

A chorus of agreements followed, prompting Kaze to ask, "What about the stuff on your tails? That was all custom designed after all."

"It doesn't drag them down much at all," Einstein gave her tail a wag. "I expected it to feel like I had a bowling ball attached to my ass, to be honest."  
"It will take me a while to get used to it, but I think I can fight in this," Squint adds, running through a quick Kata.  
"What about the extras?" Ratchet looked up to Kaze.

"You will find a button hidden on the left side of the helmets," the cyberdoll told them. "Right by the corner of the visor. Press that to change the view. You have three image modes, normal, infra-red, and low light. You will find a small knob over your left ear. That is the zoom function on the view. Just like using a pair of binoculars."

"And Communications?" Snickers asked while examining her helm.  
"Small pressure plate over the right ear," Kaze showed them. "Put your hand over it and press to transmit."  
"Hey, how come you read as normal human temperature?" Einstein wondered aloud, playing with the vision modes.  
"Because who would want to cuddle with a lump of cold metal?" Kaze quipped, poking the mini's armored chest. "Now get your tails over here. THIS is something special I did just for you guys," she said, opening a large crate and pulling out four separate packages.

"Oooo, presents, Gimme!" Snickers grinned expectantly, zipping over to the parcel that matches her armor. When she touched it, it sprang open, revealing a dressing dummy/stand for her new suit, and racked on the sides, new weapons, perfectly scaled to the mini's diminutive frames.

"Is that what I think it is?" Ratchet gasped, eyeing at the other panel, and seeing a fancy backpack.  
"If you think it's a jet pack, you would be right," Kaze grinned, as four featureless faces turn up to gaze at her in shocked surprise.  
"No way," Einstein whispers, rushing to her locker and pulling the pack off the rack. "Wait a tick, it doesn't have any straps!" she complains. "How are we supposed to use these thing, hold them between our legs?"  
"Turn around," Ratchet orders, rolling her eyes as she pulled the pack out of her sister's hands. Once she is facing away, Ratchet set the contoured side against her back… the hidden locks automatically attaching themselves.

"Controls slide out of the left hand armor," Kaze explains as a small joystick slid down from the inner side of the forearm armor, stopping in the perfect place for the left hand to wrap around it. "And to ignite the jets, you just hold down the button. Twisting the hand grip increases or decreases thrust," she finished, just as Einstein mashed the button down lifting more than a foot off the floor before she twists the throttle, and started careening around the hanger.

"WOOHOO!" the mini cheers, as she starts playing with the controls more, rapidly getting the hang of it, before bringing herself in for a light touchdown. "That is AWESOME!"

"Before you all take off, let me finish," Kaze breaks in, stopping a mass press for the flight packs. "The weapons are REAL. The guns fire Photon Beams, and the blades are made of Z alloys, just like the armor. So please be careful. I don't want to have to explain why you are burning holes through things."

"I get a laser sniper rifle?" Squint whispered in awe, taking the long gun off her weapons rack and petting it like it's a small animal.  
"Does that mean I get Photon Bombs?" Ratchet asked hopefully.

"No. I'm not THAT giving," Kaze retorts. "You do however get rapid fire pistols, and a sword."  
"Squint? In addition to your long gun, you have some armor attachments that have knives in them. They hook to your arms the same way the jet packs do," Kaze continues.  
"Nice," Squint grins, attaching the blades. "How do I use them?"  
"Make a fist," Kaze instructs. "Then snap it down like this," she said while demonstrating.

When Squint did the same, a small blade snapped from the housing, making it look like her arms ended in swords. "And to put them away?" the mini asked.

"Repeat the motion," Kaze answered, watching as the ankle biter retracted the blades.  
"Einstein, you get a computer for your arm," Kaze continues. "It also doubles as your communications hub."  
"Cool," she grinned, slapping her gear on, and opening the screen, immediately starting to play.

"And Snickers, you get a Grappling hook, with a pneumatic launcher. You also have a pair of med kits that you can attach to your left leg armor. You all get pistols for the holster built into the right leg armor," Kaze crossed her arms under her breasts as she finally finished. "So what do you guys thin…" before the Cyberdoll could ask, she was suddenly mobbed by the smaller armored bodies, all hugging her and gushing thank-yous."

"Hicks is going to be airborne, that means island jumping for fuel and getting airspace clearance… Hopefully, that will slow him down a bit." Nick calls over the roaring wind as the HEAT Seeker sliced its way across the rolling pacific at a considerable speed. "However, he is still going to be faster than us, so we need to make as much time as we possibly can."

"Then I'm going on ahead!" Ginoa yelled back before diving off the rear. Resurfacing after her transformation, mostly to prove she was alright, she took a deep breath and dove deep, rapidly outpacing the ship.

"We're pushing our luck here," John informed Nick once the man had reentered the bridge. "The engines were still pretty worn from the speed run to Omega. We're really abusing them with this quick turnaround."  
"No choice. Hicks has orders to put the creature down, but unless we can gather something on the creature, some sort of weakness," Nick sighed, slowly shaking his head. "All that's going to happen is a lot of good people are going to get hurt."  
"Just wanted you to be aware," John nods his understanding.  
"Thanks. It's appreciated," Nick answered as he made his way over to the teen.  
"So what do you think we are going to find?" the younger man questioned.  
"With any luck, A defeated monster, at Ginoa's feet…"  
"We're not that lucky," John deadpanned.  
"Tell me about it," Nick sighed again, his face taking on an exhausted look.  
"Tell you what," the teen said. "It will be a while before we reach port, why don't you get some sleep."

"John's right," Elsie cut off her husband's attempt at a rebuttal. "We need our leader bright eyed and bushy tailed, not lethargic and numb," she smiled as she took hold of Nick's arm and gently lead him deeper into the Seeker.

Below decks, Monique was making preparations of her own. Opening a special locker hidden in her bunkroom, she gently pulled out a tranquilizer rifle, critically inspecting it before setting it aside. Next she removed an armored briefcase, working the combination locks until both locking flaps disengaged. Inside, carefully packed in foam cut outs, are twelve tubes, each covered in biohazard warnings. Warily, she removed one of the cylinders, breaking the seal and shaking the contents out onto the foam. Carefully, she picks up the special dart, and loads it into the gun, making triply sure that the weapon is on "safe" before reversing her steps and putting away the unused contents of the case, and resealing the locker.  
"I had hoped to never need to use these," she whispered to herself in French, staring at the gun. Taking some time to check center herself, she slung the weapon over her shoulder and left her room.

~~~Several hours later~~~

"Randy, John, find us some wheels, preferably something 4 wheel drive," Nick orders as the boat pulled into a small fishing village. "Mendal, once we're tied up, get NIGAL up and running. Jura, put the coordinates we got from Hicks into your computer, we need to figure out the best way to get to the creature."

Moments later, Randy had shown up with a battered tan Range Rover, and almost a heartbeat behind John pulled up with a rust covered Jeep pick-up. "God, I'd better be getting reimbursed for this one," the Lt. griped, slamming the door of the 4x4 repeatedly before it stuck.

"No fair," Randy protested. "That was supposed to be my line…"

"Not now you two," Nick gave a mock scolding as he handed out com-sets to everyone. "And I'm driving the Rover," he cut Randy off before the hacker could say anything. "And Elsie has shotgun."  
"I need some help loading NIGAL," Craven called, guiding the yellow robot to the back of the pick-up.  
"Here, Doctor," Jura rushed over, after handing her computer to Randy, she bent down and casually hefted the robot up over the side and sets it down in the truck's bed.  
"Jura, you ride shotgun with John and Navigate," Monique orders, while everyone else piled into the Rover. "We'll follow."  
"Ok, she nodded, tugging on the dented passenger door in order to open it.  
"Watch where you put your feet," John nodded to the rather large hole in the floorboard. "So where to?"  
"Thanks," she giggled as she slid in next to him. "Ok, We are here," Jura says, pointing the village on an overview map. "And the monster is supposed to be here."  
"Then it looks like we go this way to start," Ginoas boyfriend grins, popping the clutch and grabbing gears as the truck tor its way through the town's muddy main street, heading for the jungle.  
"Once we get out of town, stay on the main road for two kilometers, then turn into the jungle on the first available road," Jura offers, continuing to zoom in and out on the map as she attempted to guide them to the fastest route to the monster.

They'd barely made it out of town before a familiar roar echoed back to them from beyond the forest trees. "Sounds like she's found it," Elsie said, looking as grim as everyone else.  
"She has. And it's more than she was expecting," Nick nodded as he followed the speeding Jeep.

"Hang on, it's going to get a lot rougher in a sec," John announced over his com as he spun the wheel, sending the aging truck bouncing down a track, and into the jungle.  
"He sure wasn't kidding," Randy complained, nearly biting his tongue as Nick hit a particularly nasty bump. "This isn't a road, it's a fucking game trail."  
"Could be worse," Elsie smiled weakly.  
"How so Dr. C?"  
"You could have been riding in the back of the pick-up with NIGLE," The words where no sooner out of Nick's mouth, then one of the straps holding the robot down popped and the bot began to pinball about the truck's bed.  
"Damn, sorry Craveman…" the hacker winced as Mendel began whimpering.

A second roar joins Ginoa, as she and the mystery creature continue to fight, the ground shaking with each thundering clash. A thousand yards in and John just barely managed to stop the truck before smashing into a felled tree, beyond which was a trampled clearing where Ginoa and the monster were still engaged in battle.

"Move!" Nick orders, suddenly appearing outside John's window, he and Randy muscling NIGAL out of the back as the other piled out of the Rover. Once they reach the clearing, they got their first good look at the monster, With Ginoa in mid leap before landing on its back, only to be thrown off as it reared up on its back legs to dislodge her.

"It's a winged tiger," Elsie gasped in surprise.  
"It's more than that doctor," Monique adds, pointing. "It has some kind of Crystalline growth on its body."  
"That monster isn't natural," Jura states firmly.  
"You think," Nick snapped, getting riled do to his unique connection to his daughter.  
"How can you tell that from here?" Craven blinked.  
"I've seen those crystal formations before," she tells him, just as Ginoa's spinal spikes flash green, signaling her Atom Fire.

Unfortunately, the radioactive flames washed across the tiger beast, not phasing it in the least from all appearances.

"Where have you seen them before?" Nick asked her, once Elsie had helped him to calm down.  
"On Crystal," she answered, before elaborating, "The Space Godzilla Morph."  
"Then that means," Randy began, only to be cut off as Ginoa let loose with another burst of Atom Fire.

The monster wasn't quite as un-effected this time, as it reared up, and smashing both front paws down on Ginoas shoulders, knocking her to one knee. It was then, that the crystal spinal plates on the giant cat begin to flash. "It has an Oral Beam!" Nick yells, knocking everyone he can tackle, to the ground, for all the good it would do if the beam hit them. The blast of energy was blue, like the true Godzilla's flame, yet this was infused with golden lightning that spiraled around the beam.

Ginoa took the shot in the chest, and was knocked clear across the clearing.

"She's not going to be happy about that one," John muttered while Ginoa tiredly got back to her feet, the blast having taken some of the fight out of her.  
"She needs help," Monique stated, annoyed that they dare not attempt to get closer to the fight.

"Here, hold this," Jura turned to John, rapidly giving him all her gear, before stripping and adding her clothes to the pile.

"Fuck me," he yelled, as she abruptly sprints off toward the fight. "Why do monster girls keep stripping in front of me and giving me their cloths?"  
"Luck?" Randy blurted before he could help himself.  
"What the hell," Craven gasped out. "She's going to get herself squashed!"  
"You are forgetting who and what she is," Elsie yells back over the sound of battle. "She's the only other K-girl besides Ginoa that can fight that monster on its own level!"

Jura was barely halfway to the fight when she triggered her power. Dubbed the "Giga Effect", after some anime Kaze had seen, she quickly rocketed up in both size and mass. With a rumbling growl, she reached out and snagged the monster's tail, hoping to distract it from Ginoa for just a moment, giving her some time to recover. Unfortunately, she got her wish, for the beast spun and leapt at her, sinking it's fangs into the arm she used to block the attack. Seeing her friend in trouble, Ginoa gave out a roar as she rushed back in, snapping and clawing at the beast, forcing it to release Jura and defend itself.

"Try this on for size," Jura's voice rumbled as her dorsal plates flash.

"Oh shit," Randy breathed as the group, once again, had to duck for cover. Jura's beam hitting the beast in the side and knocks it down, but has little other effect on it.  
"Craven! What does NIGAL have to say about that thing?" Nick demanded while the two Godzilla girls continue to tag team the monster.

"Just a second," he returns, quickly digging the hand held interface out of his pocket, and running down through the readings. "Oh crap," he murmured, the radiation readings confuse the hell out of him. "Something is wrong with my equipment… They're in full monster battle mode, and the background radiation is LOWER than it should be."

"Or else that thing is feeding on their attacks," Monique observed, as the cat bounced back faster and faster each time one of the pair blasted it with their breath weapon.  
"They're just making it stronger, and there's no way we can warn them off without getting squashed ourselves," John stated the obvious.  
"We need back-up," Randy admits.

"I take it that's our queue," Hicks grins as he emerged from the woods with O'Neal at his side. "Hit the cat, not the lizards!" he ordered into his radio. "Fire at will!"

"Hey," Randy brightened suddenly. "Maybe that's what we should name it, Will."  
"Sssssh," Monique hissed as she put a finger to the hacker's lips.

With a thunderous explosion, the few tanks and support vehicles the Major had been able to airlift over from Omega, cut loose. High explosive shells arched in and began raining down on the giant cat, doing little more than annoying the beast. While it was a futile attempt, it did give the girls a chance to recover and hit it with a double dose of radioactive attacks.

"This can't be good," Elsie muttered as lightning like discharges danced across the beast's surface. As they watch, the monster suddenly got bigger. Rearing up on its hind legs, which appeared more muscular than before, it stood tall and took up a battle stance. Its front paws growing into hands, as it began to move around on its back legs, using its wings to keep its balance.

"Fuck, I hate it when they ignore me," Hicks growls while his troops continued to fire everything they have in to the beast.

~~~Red Bamboo HQ~~~

"Mistress, I'm afraid I have some bad news to report," Cyra's voice announced over the loudspeakers.  
"Have you found the beast?" Geisha demands.  
"Yes, but I was not the first to discover it," she answered, sending back a live visual feed back to Geisha.  
"Damn them all!" Geisha snarled, fists slamming into the reinforced arm's of her command chair, when she sees just who is there.  
"It seems that your lost lab rat has joined forces with the Americans. But this could work in your favor yet Mistress," Cyra remarks.  
"Explain," Geisha growls.  
"The beast feeds on radiation correct? It should be able to drain those two dry, and once they are no longer antagonizing it, it will be a simple matter to re-assert control," the golden dragon girl responds.  
"True. Maintain surveillance, for now…" Geisha orders, suddenly wishing she had some popcorn for the show. "This could prove most entertaining."

~~~Back at the Battle~~~

"The girls are getting their tails kicked," Elsie worriedly watched as the uneven fight turned against their side.

Ginoa snarled as she got smacked across the face by the tiger's tail, the crystal growth at the end ripping her hide open for a few moments, before her regeneration kicked in. Jura wasn't so lucky, getting a full blast from the creature's beam ray, right in the chest, and got blasted up and out of the clearing. Shaking her head, Jura had to take a moment before she recovered enough to return.

"It's taking everything we have, and just ignoring us. And I don't have the authority to call in anything bigger," Hicks snarled, like usual, when the monsters are trumping his team.  
"But we do," Nick realized, the solution dawning on him. "Randy…" he starts to order, only to be cut off.  
"Already on it boss man," the quick thinking hacker calls, fingers flying across his keyboard, and placing a long distance call.

~~~HEAT, Staten Island, NY~~~

"You've reached HEAT headquarters, monsters, mutations and hot anthromorphic school-girls are our specialty, how can I direct your call?" Kaze answered, already noting that the call was coming from Randy's laptop.  
"We need you and the big guy!" Randy's panicked voice cut over the com.

Kaze was already out of her chair and turning when she heard something that would make her blood run cold… if she had any. Godzilla's squawk of pain, and the knowledge that there is only one person with them able to make that noise, increases her speed as she runs into the hanger. "Showtime," she growls bursting in and heading toward the Kaiser Pilder.

"MAZIN-GO" she bellows, before touching her chocker and leaping into the Pilder. With the words, the voice activated launch system kicks in, the lower launch doors opening as well as the roof and the walls behind the Storage tube. Next the rumble of machinery can be felt as the Metal Titan rose on the lift platform. "Pilder, GO!" Kaze yells, the small aircraft jetting down the launch rails and abruptly launches skyward, the upward path turning into a huge loop as she dives back on the raising robot.

"Pilder, ON!" she commands, the body panels of the little fighter shifting into its interlock configuration, before snapping firmly into place in the Mazinkaisers crown. The robots eyes light up, and it turns on its' heal to exit the hanger, the back walls of which begin to close as soon as it clears. Running toward the river, Kaze issues her next command, "Kaiser Scrander, Launch!" The rear of the launch rail drops so that the jet wash burns into the lift platform and the rail points out the still open roof. The crimson wings scream off the launch rail, climbing in much the same way as the Pilder, except they execute a graceful wingover and drop down to come in behind the running robot.

As the robot runs out of Wharf, Kaze ignites the rockets in its boots, causing it to leap into the air over the river, while issuing her last command, "Scrander, ON!" The wings boost forward, and lock into place on the titans back, lifting it into the sky. "I'm on my way Jura," she whispers. "Just hold on a little longer." As she flies away, the launch rail returns to its previous position, and the roof closes, once more looking like an abandoned oil storage tank.

Too bad people outside the wharf where paying attention…

~~~Again, Back at the Battle~~~

"The girls can't keep this up much longer," Hicks winces as the beast grabs Ginoa and hurls her at Jura, slamming the both of them back into the ground, and hitting them with another ray blast.  
"Help is on the way, they just have to hold out for a little longer," Randy returns.

~~~RB Control Room~~~

"This is turning out to be quite amusing," Geisha radios Cyra as she continue to observe the battle.  
"The beast seems to have gotten the better of them both, Mistress," Cyra agrees.  
"What other resources do we have in the area?" Geisha demands of a nearby flunky.  
"Nothing except the search aircraft and Cyra herself," she reports. "The nearest outposts are in Australia, and China, but it might give away their positions if they mobilized en-mass."  
"Well, that rules out capturing these two then," she crimson warlord sighs. "Pity. Oh well, I will simply have to make do with what the good doctor is cooking up for me."  
"Any change in orders, Mistress?" Cyra asked.  
"Yes. Once the beast defeats the Godzilla girls, use it to make sure there are no survivors. That bunch is part of the reason Operation Omega was a flop, and it's just good sense to wipe HEAT and Hicks off the map while we have the opportunity," Geisha said while keeping an optic on the screen. "However, do not damage Lt. Cross… I want him alive or I'll have your hide."

"By your command," Cyra answers, grinning at the opportunity to field test her upgrade.

~~~Low orbit~~~

"Planet is rotating west to east, so fastest way to get to Jura is this way," Kaze mutters, sending the Mazinkaiser burning across the sky toward the pacific, the earth's rotation and her height turning the several hours of flight into something that can be completed in a matter of minutes.

~~~The Battle Ground~~~

The beast roared in victory as it backhanded Jura, sending her spinning to the ground, before turning and giving Ginoa a credible roundhouse slap to the head, knocking her away once more. It was stalking toward Jura when it paused and began scanning the skies, seemingly searching for something. Seconds later the spectators could hear it as well. A shrill whistling noise that Hicks recognized instantly. "INCOMING!" he roared, ducking for cover. But the expected explosion never came. Instead they heard the thunder of rockets, and a dull thud that shook the ground hard enough to drop everyone to their hands and knees.

"Photon Beam!" Kaze calls, the Mazinkaiser's eye beams lancing out and knocking the monster off its feet. As the mech began to stalk forward, Nick scrambled over to Randy.

"Tell her no energy weapons! It just makes that thing stronger," he called over the din of battle. And his words prove true when the beast retaliates with its own energy blast, staggering the robot back a half step.

"No beam attacks? Well that drops my options," Kaze complains, but follows the directions. "Scrander, OFF!" she orders, the interlocks disconnecting as the jets fire, launching the flight gear skyward. Until the robot reaches up and grabs one wing before it was out of reach. Lightning quick, Kaze spun the mech around and hurled the flight pack like a huge boomerang at the monster.

The beast reacted, dropping back to all fours and rushing under the huge spinning rocket powered blade, yet it still managed to clip the tops of several of the tallest crystal growths on its back.

~~~ ~~~

"No. No, this can't be happening. Not again," Geisha whispers in shock as the Mazinkaiser literally drops into the fight and knocks the beast away.

~~~ ~~~

"Turbo Punch!" Kaze yells, the right forearm's armor spinning up as she delivered a massive uppercut to the charging beast, literally flipping it into the air from the force of the blow. However, the beast spread it wings, turning it's flip into a recovery, and charged back at the metal titan. "Come to momma," Kaze snarled as the robot snatched the cat out of the air, and proceeds to flip it over its shoulder, slamming the beast into the ground.

The wet snapping sound, and drooping wing attest to the fact that the beast was now grounded.

"That will not slow it down for long," Monique states grimly.  
"Why the hell not? That was a serious hit it just took," Hicks demands.  
"Frenchy has a point. And if Jura was right, then that thing has the D.N.A. from at least one, possibly more Daikaiju spliced into it. We have to assume it heals as fast as the strongest of them," Elsie argues.  
"She's right, it was just feeding off of our attacks, growing stronger," Ginoa gasps, as she and Jura limp over to the team, no one having noticed their retreat from the field with Kaze's arrival.  
"I can't believe how strong it is. I should have attempted Spiral Fire. Even if it can feed on radiation, that will still hurt it," Jura whispered, using all her remaining strength just to keep from falling over.  
"Easy you two, Kaze's tagged in now, let her finish it for you," Elsie orders, taking charge of Jura while John rushes to Ginoa.

"Can she do it? That monster is possibly the strongest thing I've ever seen," Nick stated, not happy about saying it.  
"She can do it," Jura smiled tiredly. "It may have bested us both, but she's not thinking of Ginoa right now. It hurt me, and she's going to even the score."  
"How bad are you hurt?" Elsie asked, her eyes roaming over all the scorch marks, cuts, and scrapes she can see.  
"I'll heal. Now that my power isn't being leached, I'm all ready feeling better," she admits.  
"Well you still look like crap, so take it easy," Elsie orders, as the ground shakes again, this time the Mazinkaiser goes down.

"Oh, you did NOT just do that," Kaze snarls, already getting the titan back up, only to see the beast leaping at her, wings spread and claws extended. "Sucker," the cyberdoll grins, before calling, "Tornado Power!" The mouth grill of the robot glows for an instant as the turbines spin up, before the force of a dozen hurricane winds blast forth, and slams the beast back into the tree line behind it. The monster snarling in rage as it regained its footing and charged back into the clearing, only to find Kaze had the mech back on its feet as well, and ready to continue.

"Glacial Beam!" she calls, the twin golden antenna on the Kaisers head pivoting down to point forward, and a jagged white beam shooting out, coating the ground between the combatants in a thick sheet of ice. The beast continued, heedless of the change, but as it shifted its weight to attack, it lost its footing, continuing to slide forward.  
Just as Kaze wanted.

"Gotcha," she grins, dropping the mech into a crouch, and hammering a uppercut home, spinning with the blow and driving an elbow back into the beast, and following it up with a spin kick, knocking the monster back across the trampled clearing.

"If I hadn't just seen that, I would have said it was impossible for something that big to move like that," Hicks sputtered in surprise.  
"There are martial artists who have trained their entire lives who cannot move that fluidly," Monique added.  
"When Kaze is mad, no one can stop her," Jura grinned, beaming with a show of pride.  
"Remind me to stay on her good side," Hicks removed his hat and whipped his brow with a sleeve, watching as the giant mech stomped across the battle field toward the monster.

Rolling onto all fours, the worn beast feebly tried another ray blast, which splashed off the Mazinkaiser's tough armor. "Shoot at me all you want, you're not getting through THIS armor," Kaze growled, reaching out and flipping a switch. "Giant Missile!" she calls, launching the huge projectile from the 'Kaisers belly area, where it was hidden behind an armored hatch. The move takes the beast by surprise, and the explosion sends it skidding on its back across the field once more.

Moving toward it in an earth shaking run, Kaze reaches it before it can recover. "It nap time for kitty," she openly jokes over the external speakers, as the mech begins to pummel the beast, concentrating on its head.

~~~RB HQ~~~

"Mistress….." Cyra trails off.  
"Yes, I can see," Geisha snarled in fury, watching her war beast get the snot beat out of it by that hated robot.  
"Do you wish me to sabotage their ship?" Cyra asks over her com set.  
"No. It might get the humans, but the others would survive, and would not rest until the fallen were avenged," Geisha returns. "No, it's time for you to come home Cyra. There is little you can do to change the outcome at this point, and I would hate to lose you again so soon after getting you back."  
"By your command, Mistress," Cyra answers, cutting the feed with one last shot of the beast, laying defeated at the feet of the Mazinkaiser.

~~~The all new parking lot deep within the Philippine jungle~~~

"I say we destroy it while we have the chance," Monique argues, backed by Hicks.  
"Never going to have a better opportunity than right now, with that thing to do the deed," he agrees, jerking a thumb at Mazinkaiser.

"For starters, we don't know HOW to kill it yet, and secondly, we need to know where it came from," Nick argues back. "So far what little info we have says it's not a naturally occurring mutation."  
"What info is that? You just now got some blood samples to check over," Hicks complains, throwing his hands up in the air.  
"The Crystals on its back and tail are similar to those on SpaceGodzilla," Jura informs him.  
"And just who are you," Hicks growls, turning his attention back to Nick as he continues. "And why wasn't I informed about her little trick?"

John steps forward, attempting to defuse the argument, "Her name is Jura, and she and Kaze recently joined HEAT, and the New York branch of the DKA."

"And who is Kaze?" Hicks barked, rounding on the younger man.  
"That would be me," a female voice answered, her flight pack slowly lowering her into the group. "You know, the one who just saved your collective ass?"  
"And why wasn't I informed about THAT?" he demands, pointing at the Mazinkaiser. "We both know you can't get away with having something like that Nick."  
"Actually, we can," Kaze grins, handing Hicks her orders, and permissions.

For Nick and the others, it was a heartbeat in time they had always wanted to see, and would never forget. For a long silent moment, Hicks stood scanning through the paperwork, treating it as if God himself had handed it to him personally. "Well son of a bitch," Hicks drawls out, handing it all back to the Mazin-girl, he adds, "Sorry, but I'm not big on surprises."

"Understandable, given your job," she smiled back warmly.  
"I'd like to see where you are keeping it. Don't want the wrong crowd to get their hands on it," Hicks tells her, only to have HEAT break into laughter.  
"You need not worry on that account, monsieur. Her security is impressive, even by my standards," Monique tells him.  
"I've seen some of your work lady, your standards are pretty damn high," Hicks grins. "Although, that still doesn't explain how you hooked up with him," he smirks, pointing at HEAT's hacker.  
"Hey!" Randy sputtered, lightening the mood even more.  
"Back to the problem at hand," Nick sighed, once the mood had lightened enough. "We need to secure it and get it back to Omega and under lock down before it wakes up."  
"Easy enough. I'll fly his colossal butt back there," Kaze returned with a shrug.  
"And who is "minding the store" while you are here?" Monique inquired, placing her hands on her hips.  
"I dropped a call back to the school after I took off," Kaze answers. "Gidget and Yuki are keeping an eye on things, with help from the mini's"

"And Madison?" Elsie asked, ever a mother.

"Last I had heard, she was staying over at the dorms with Tucker, until we get back," Kaze tells her.  
"Nicely handled," nodded Nick. "Now, we know the monster absorbs radiation, so how do we keep it asleep during transport?"  
"Wait, and just how do we know that?" Hicks blinked in dismay.  
"Because every time we hit it with atomic firepower, it just came back stronger," Ginoa answered.  
"And when it was in contact with us, it was slowly leaching our reserves," Jura adds. "I haven't felt this drained since I first arrived on NMI."  
"Oh, just great," the Major breathed before looking to Kaze. "Any more tricks in that high rise of yours?"  
"We could always freeze it. The Ice Beam isn't the kind of thing it can absorb for power," she answered with a shrug.

The group looks at each other for a moment, with a few shrugs and nods thrown in, before Nick commanded, "Do it. The sooner it's locked up, the better we'll all feel and the sooner we can figure out where it came from."

"One moment Kaze, I require your aid before you prepare the beast for transport," Monique called, chasing after the redhead as she walked back toward Mazinkaiser.  
"What's up?" the cyberdoll slowed, letting the other woman catch up.  
"This," she answered, un-slinging the rifle. "I have a special dart prepared, but I want to make sure that it gets past the beasts defenses."  
"What's the dart for?" Kaze tilted her head, suspicious.  
"It isn't going to kill it. It is just some added insurance that it will never rampage like this again before it can be contained," the spy informed her. "I'm afraid I cannot tell you more than that."  
"You swear it's not some super powerful poison?" Kaze questioned.  
"My word," she returned solemnly.  
"Okay, what do you need me to do?" Kaze asked as they near the beast.  
"Open its mouth," Monique grins.  
"Say what?" the robot blinked in surprise.  
"The soft tissue inside its mouth will be far more effective to fire into than its outer hide," Monique explains.  
"This is going to be heavy," Kaze groans, moving up to the beast, and grabbing its left fang with both hands.  
"Too heavy for you?" Monique mocked a surprised look.  
"Just a second," Kaze rolled her eyes, mentally keying in the activation code for her combat mode…and the Power Booster.

The only external sign of what she had done was the mouth guard sliding out of her helm to meet in front of her face. Grabbing the fang once again, she ever so slowly managed to open the beasts mouth far enough for Monique to fire the dart into its tongue.

"Thank you," the spy salutes, signaling Kaze to release her burden.  
"If I get in trouble for this later, I'm not going to be happy," Kaze warns, deploying her flight gear, and jetting back up to the cockpit of the super robot.  
"No fear of that, I will take full responsibility for this," Monique whispered, heading back toward the others.

"Clear the area guys, it's going to get pretty damn cold down there," Kaze warns over the external speakers.  
"You heard her, MOVE!" Hicks bellows, his troops falling back to the tree line.

Once everyone was clear, Kaze unleashed the glacial beam, combined with the high humidity of the jungle, to encase the creature in its own private iceberg.

"And you're sure the deep freeze isn't going to kill it?" Hicks wondered, sounding somewhat disappointed.  
"No, its healing factor will keep it alive, just like any other Daikaiju frozen in ice," Elsie answered for the group.  
"Damn things are harder to kill than New York Cockroaches," Hicks muttered once again taking the time to wipe his forehead.  
"Be thankful we have yet to find THAT particular mutation Colonel," Monique smirks as she passes by.  
"That's not funny," the Major retorts.  
"Yeah it was," Randy chuckled in response.

"Okay, That should do it," Kaze announced, deactivating the freeze ray.  
"Can you even lift that?" Randy called up, staring at the small mountain of ice.  
"Hackerman, there isn't much I can't do sitting in this seat," Kaze grinned, calling the Scrander back, and reconnecting with it. Then she slams the Kaisers hands deep into the ice, and fires her jets.  
"Sweet Mary, Mother of God," Hicks whispered in shock as the Mazinkaiser not only lifts the iceberg, but continues to gain altitude.  
"Astounding. I am glad such power is on our side," Monique agrees, not quite as surprised as Hicks.  
"That's my girl friend," Jura grins.  
"Does she have any sisters?" O'Neal wonders.

~~~Later~~~

"Okay Major, I think that has us squared away now," John reports after loading supplies aboard the Seeker.  
"Good. The frozen freak is locked up, and I've issued orders to maintain the blackout in its pen," Hicks informs the group.  
"We will get back to you as soon as we finish going over the blood and skin samples," Nick assures the Major. "Hopefully we'll know more about it in a day or two."  
"You better," Hicks grumps, still scowling over the entire situation on the island. "Oh, and lieutenant? Please keep me a little better informed when new arrivals show up with weapons of mass destruction, would you?"  
"Sorry, sir," John apologizes. "But with who signed off on her paperwork, I thought you already knew."  
"Speaking of being informed," Ginoa suddenly perked up, bounding over to Hicks before he could turn to leave. "Oh, uncle, I almost forgot to tell you something."  
"What is it kiddo?" the Major paused, his usual gruff demeanor slipping away in front of his niece.  
"We are having a Halloween party," She happily informed him. "And you're invited."  
"I'm afraid that I'm alittle too old for costume parties, Ginoa," he returns.  
"Pweeze?" she whimpered, going into full "puppy dog pout" mode.  
"Ok, ok… I'll try," he finally relents. "But with all the paperwork this fiasco generated, I'm making no promises, okay?"  
"Fair enough," she grinned and gave his cheek a butterfly kiss.

"Put that girl into law school. I'm telling, she can out argue almost anyone," Hicks whispered to Nick, before disembarking the HEAT Seeker.

"Well, if you guys don't need me for anything more, I'll be going on ahead," Kaze reports, the Mazinkaiser giving a wave before taking off, immediately boosting for high altitude to make the return trip to New York as quick as possible. Far below, she spies the Seeker pulling away from Omega's dock and speeding off to the east… quickly becoming a speck on the vast ocean.

"I'm surprised you didn't want to go with her?" Ginoa said while she craned her neck skyward, wondering why Jura was still with the group as she watched the giant robot disappear into the clouds.  
"I did… but the Pilder wasn't really made to carry passengers," Jura answered, somewhat embarrassed.  
"In that case I have an idea to make the return trip a bit more enjoyable," Ginoa brightened, a mischievous smile crossing her lips as she motioned the other women to join her for a pow-wow.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about that?" John eyed the flock of womanhood as he climbed down from the flying bridge, having just set the auto pilot.

"Because you're not as stupid as you look?" Randy smirked.  
"Oh hah-hah," John gave a fake, condescending, laugh. "Really funny coming from a man who looks smarter then he really is."  
"Finally," this comment came from Mendel after he blew his nose in a hanky. "Now there is someone else for Randy to play his childish crap on besides NIGEL and myself."  
"No can do Crave-man," the hacker flashed him a wicked gaze. "Me n John-boy are just funnin around, it's still open season on you and all your toys."  
"And I can't wait to see what you have planned next for NIGEL," John said, taking on the same wicked grin as he winked at Randy.  
"Well, I was thinking SpongeBob…"  
"Noooo!," Craven screeched, fear for his robotic baby showing in his eyes.

"How are we doing, Mr. Cross?" Nick inquired as he stepped out on deck, placing a gentle hand on the frantic Mendel's shoulder.  
"We're at three quarters of our top speed, Mostly to give the engines a break after going full out for the past few days," he answered, taking a moment to wipe a tear of mirth from his eyes. "It should only add about two days to our time for the trip back."  
"Alright, I guess we can use the extra time to unwind after that hunt," Nick admits, doing his best to ignore Randy's balling laughter.  
"I'm (snicker) going to go get on the horn, (giggle snort) and warn the gang that Kaze is on her way back with the big guy," Randy chuckled, holding his sides as he headed below decks.  
"So how IS NIGAL?" Nick asked Craven, trying to calm the man.

"Well, he didn't get smashed for a change," Mendal's voice wavered, distracted as ever. "But there seems to be a glitch in his video recorder. There LOOKS like there is something in one of the frames, but I can't get any of the enhancements I've tried to spit out a decent image. But what is bothering me is if it was the recorder, why is it only in one frame?"

"I'll have Randy give you hand with the image when he's done," Nick said, holding a hand up to keep Craven from freaking out. "And I'll tell him to lay off the pranks… for now."  
"Thanks Nick," he nodded in appreciation.

As ushering Mendel back inside the Seeker, he was about to tell John to take the helm when Ginoa called out, "Oh Johhhnnniiiieeeee, We have something we would like you to do for us…."

"And it looks like I'm driving," Nick chuckled at the look of defeat already gracing the boy's face.

~~~New York~~~

When Kaze arrived back in NY, she found a small crowd waiting outside the hanger as she dropped Mazinkaiser through the open roof. Once again, she separated from the Scrander, catching it before it can fly off and deactivating its jets… finally she placed it gently back into its launching rail. Activating the lift, she lowered Mazinkaiser into his maintenance cradle/launching bay, before undocking the Pilder. As she maneuvered the small aircraft back on to its own launch pad, she releases the roof, and opens the side entrance by remote.

By the time she'd climbed out of the Pilder, most of the remaining inhabitants of DKA-NY were waiting.

"um… What's up guys?" she questioned as her armored boots hit the floor.  
"We have a few issues with the way you left," M'gara informs her as she steps to the front.  
"It was an emergency, I didn't have time to tell anyone before taking off," Kaze tries to explain, only to be interrupted by Madison.  
"It's not the 'why' it's the 'how'," she tells Kaze.  
"What do you mean," Kaze blinked, really confused now. "What seems to be the problem?"  
"Well, for starters, we had no warning at all," Nita crossed her arms under her massive chest, scowling.  
"And your oversize footsteps shook the ground enough that we thought we were having an earthquake," Bukke hissed at her. "Most of the human students freaked."  
"And your jetpack-thingy blew out all the windows when it flew through," Nina adds, displaying an arm full of cuts.  
"And I've still got a headache from the noise the jets made," Sonia whimpered, a pained look on her face.

"Okay, so obviously I have a few bugs to work out of the launch process," Kaze admitted. "I'm sorry for all the trouble, and I'll get the damage fixed up as soon as I can," she apologizes. "And I'll add some kind of siren so that you get plenty of warning when I'm going to take off."

"Thank you," M'gara nodded, leading the others out. "Come on girls, back to the dorms."  
"Maddie? Einstein, Snickers, Ratchet, Squint? Where do you guys think you're going?" Kaze questioned, as those named attempted to follow the pack.  
"Uh, back to what we were doing before you returned?" Madison shrugged.  
"Sorry, but you guys work with the maintenance staff, and we have work to do," Kaze returns with an evil grin, getting a chorus of groans in the process.

~~~HEAT Seeker's main deck~~~

"I have to give it to you kiddo, this was a good idea," Elsie remarks from her lounge on the deck of the 'Seeker's bow.  
"I concur. This is most relaxing," Monique adds stretched out on her back with her arms crossed behind her head.  
"And I got drafted to be cabana boy, why?" John questioned, placing each of the requested drinks near its intended owner.  
"Because Randy would not be able to keep his eyes and hands to himself," the spy adds.  
"Because Mendel would whine about how to much sun light is bad for us…" Elsie chimed in.  
"And because I think you look best in cut-offs and no shirt," Ginoa giggled at him.  
"Hey, I'm just here for the sunning," Jura pipped up, laying face down next to Monique.

"Enjoying the view?" Nick smirked knowingly at Randy as the hacker leaned on the railing of the flying bridge, his eyes glued to the deck below where the female members of HEAT were enjoying the slightly slower pace of their return, and using the opportunity to get some sunbathing in before returning to the October chill of New York.

"You really need to ask, jefe'?" Randy shot back, a wide grin plastered to his face.  
"No, not really," Nick chuckled. "We've come a long way, since I found her, haven't we?" he asked, referring to Ginoa.  
"Whoa, should I dig out the nostalgia goggles?" Randy arched an eyebrow in question.  
"No need for that, unless you want to think about all the times Monique threatened to inflict grievous bodily harm on you," Nick counters.  
"No thanks, just enjoying the fact that she only does that to make a point anymore," the hacker sighed, his wide smile returning as he glances back down towards her slender form.  
"So what are you two going to come to the party as?" Nick wondered.  
"Video game characters, and that's all the more I'm going to say," Randy tells him. "You?"  
"Probably a bit un-imaginative, but Elsie and I are going to be Bonny and Clyde," the boss man answers.

"….I can actually see you two making that work though," Randy admits.

"Any clues on the rest of our extended family?" Nick inquired.  
"Not much. I expect Modo to come as one of the biggest ladies men of all time, but that still leaves three or four possibilities." he answered, his eyes still glued to Monique's body.  
"Well, I'm pretty sure M'gara is going to make good on her threat to come as a zoo keeper," Nick added, getting a laugh out of Randy.  
"Well, she's always saying that's what she feels like, trying to keep the girls in line all the time," he answers.  
"And I know Elsie invited a few more people from outside our group, but she wouldn't say how many or who," Nick adds.  
"Surprise guests eh? Should spice things up a bit."  
"Go give the girls a heads up, we're approaching Panama," Nick ordered, switching to business mode as he reached for the radio to request a slot for getting through the canal.

~~~Some time later~~~

By the time the HEAT Seeker had returned, all the damages cause by the Mazinkaiser during its first launch, has been repaired, an alert siren had been added to the outside of the hanger, and a clearly marked runway designated through the wharf for her to leave along that won't repeat the mistakes from her first emergency takeoff.

"We hear you got read the riot act when you got back," Nick grinned at Kaze as she helped tie the ship to HEAT's casernes dock.  
"Hey, I never claimed to be perfect. There was bound to be SOME problem that would crop up once I used all that stuff for the first time," Kaze returned with a shrug. "However, it should all be ironed out now."  
"They weren't too angry with you, I hope?" Jura chirps happily, pulling her lover into a hug once she'd cleared the gangplank.  
"Well a couple of them where pissed, but that seems to be their general disposition anyway," Kaze giggled. "Most of them where happy that I was willing to fix everything right away."

"Slave driver," Madison snorts, sticking out her tongue at Kaze, before running over to Elsie for a hug of her own.

"She and the mini's got to help me with repairs to the buildings," Kaze reported when everyone looks at her because of the smaller saurian's comment.  
"Made her earn her keep for a change?" Ginoa grinned, when Maddy pulled away from her mom and glommed onto Johnnie.  
"I wouldn't say that, since she has lived here longer than I have," Kaze laughed.

"Well, I need to get unpacked, and get tests started in the lab," Elsie sighs loudly, hinting that everyone should get back to work.

"I'll meet you there as soon as I drop my stuff off, doctor," Jura calls after her.  
"I'll have your 'welcome home' present for you later," Kaze whispers, as she and Jura turn to venture though the HEAT building, on their way to the hanger. "Oh, Monique, That item you asked me about? You can pick it up later today," she calls back to the spy.  
"Ah, good. Expect me in a few hours then," the French woman nodded, giving no hint to the others about what is going on.  
"Do I need to ask?" Jura blinked in confusion.  
"Just some secret Halloween stuff," Kaze whispered, kissing her love before she could ask anything more.

"You know," John said as he followed along behind the lovers, "Ginoa has a large cave dug somewhere under HEAT HQ that she would use to get a little privacy. It's pressurized, dry, open to the Hudson…and out of the way."  
"Say what," the Godzilla morph asked, her kiss with Kaze broken by the intrusion.  
"So?" Kaze tilted her head, trying to follow his train of thought. "What are you getting at Lt.?"  
"Just that, now that she's moved into my room, she no longer uses it," he replies as he stepped past them, heading off to his home within HEAT's motor pool. "Maybe she would be willing to let you use it. A hidden underwater entrance, It would make it easier to hide the big guy's comings and goings… better than having a visible runway for nosy reporters to spot… quieter to," he tossed the lat bit out before disappearing into his room. "Something to think about wouldn't you say?"

Slowly a manic grin began to crawl its way across her face, "John, you magnificent bastard…"

"So I take it you managed to create the item with a minimum of difficulty?" Monique inquired, after letting herself into the hanger, and finding Kaze waiting in the shielded (from launch exhaust) meeting room.

"Actually, it was a real pain in the ass," Kaze admits. Standing, she crosses the room, retrieving something from a dark corner. "I had to go a bit deeper into the construction than I'm really happy about, had everything running overtime to pull it off."  
"Oh? How so?" the spy asked, watching the girl intently.  
"Easier to show you," Kaze said, a sly smile on her lips, as she placed a large case on the conference table. Flipping the simple latches, she cracked it open enough to reach in and remove the large blade.  
"Interesting. I cannot even see the separation lines," Monique commented, running a finger along the flat of the blade after the Cyberdoll had held it out for her to see.

"How about now?" Kaze grins. Stepping back for room, she snapped her wrist while pressing a hidden stud in the grip… In a fraction of a heartbeat, the blade to split into sections, joined together by a thin metallic cable. The new bladed whip was easily three times as long as the connected blade was.

"It is only moderately impressive in the game," Monique admits. "But the reality of it… this could be more than deadly, in the proper hands."  
"I agree. To that point, the blade itself is composed of a titanium/tungsten alloy, and has NOT been sharpened," the bot tells her. "The blade is quite strong, and IS capable of being sharpened, but I really didn't want to give "live steel" especially in such a…mercurial…form, to someone who is more likely to hurt themselves than their advisory."  
"I understand your reluctance, but have no fear for Rexi. Before I asked you to do this, she asked ME for training. I happened to know of someone in town who could teach skills in a similar style of fighting for the whip form. She has been attending private lessons on a weekly basis since I asked you to construct this," Monique explains.

"Alright, makes me feel better, knowing that people are not going to get hurt by accident," Kaze tells her, pointing out the stud on the grip, before touching it a second time, triggering the change from whip, back to sword. "Make sure you warn her to keep her fingers clear," Kaze adds, as the metal cable snaps the blade sections together so quickly there is an audible "snap" as it all comes together again.

"And what else do you have there?" Monique wondered, pointedly looking back at the case.

Kaze grined, and spins the case to face the spy, before giving it a light shove to slide it across the table. Monique's eyes widening in surprise as she takes in the contents within.

"I figured that even if she was making it herself, she would be having a hard time with that guard," Kaze admits happily. "And after that, I just figured "what the hell", and went and finished the whole thing."  
"And this will.." Dupre trails off, remember the images she had seen, both while Rexi was asking for help, and while Playing the game in question with Randy.  
"Fit her like a second skin," Kaze gave a slow nod. "Her legs won't look quite as nice as Ivy's, but that isn't her fault."  
"Thank you. I will see to it that she receives it immediately," the French lady says while Kaze carefully placed the sword back into its molded foam depression. "I will owe you a favor for this."  
"Consider it already repaid," Kaze returns. "By the fact that you had a fairly good idea of what I was up to in here, and let me go ahead with it anyway, without butting in."  
"You went far above and beyond what I had suspected you where up to," Monique admits with an honest smile of her own.  
"Oh? So the spy has been slacking off eh?" Kaze grins.  
"Please don't tell anyone, I would have to get off my lazy backside and make them disappear," Monique smirks, letting Kaze run with the joke for a bit.

After showing the spy out, Kaze smiles to herself, "Lady if you think that was above and beyond, just wait till you see what I did for YOU."

~~~HEAT's main Lab~~~

"That was some good work kiddo," Elsie tells Jura as the pair finish their clean up in the lab. "Your knowledge of Daikaiju is really handy to have when looking for details."

"If Ginoa hadn't been in the middle of the fight, she would have spotted the similarities between the monster and Crystal as well. Or you Doctor. Someone would have spotted it, I just did it first," Jura counters, feeling that she didn't deserve said praise.

"You're missing my point," Elsie chides her. "We might have connected the dots, but not nearly as quickly as you did. The fact that you have not only studied the monsters, but have lived with the other girls gives you a unique insight when it comes to spotting things like that. A real mutation might give you problems, but things like that tiger monster, you had answers we hadn't even realized there were questions for yet."

"Yes, but you where the one who figured out that they lost track of their monster," Jura returns, still trying to duck the credit the older woman was trying so hard to give her.  
"And you where the one who jumped into the middle of a monster fight to help save Ginoa," Elsie shot right back.  
"For all the good it did us. All we did was help it mutate further from what they created. I wasn't so far gone in the fight that I missed when it suddenly went from fighting like an animal to standing upright and fighting like we were," Jura growled to herself.

"You don't take praise very well, do you?" the older red head suddenly grabbed Jura by the shoulders, spinning the girl around to look her in the eye.  
"Wha?" Jura starts, before Elsie cuts her off.  
"Just listen to me," Elsie used her best motherly voice. "You don't get to join this team just because your teachers like you, or you do well in class. Brains are only half of it. This team is still alive, because we're not afraid to act when it's required."  
"What my wife is trying to say," Nick adds from the doorway, "is that despite how you feel about your performance, we feel you passed with top marks on all points. Welcome to H.E.A.T."  
"But…" Jura sputters, completely at a loss for words.  
"Hush child," Monique said after slipping into the room behind Nick. "We have worked with many, but none have found a permanent place in our family."  
"At least, not until now. You are one of the few to ever treat NIGAL with respect, let alone gentleness. I'm more than willing to keep you," Craven chimes in, he and Randy joining the others.  
"Hey, I've been a fan since she and her girl showed up on our doorstep, you know my vote," Randy grins.

Jura just stood there dumbstruck for several moments, before she finally tears from the room, her face slick with tears.

"Was it something I said?" Craven asks, dumbfounded by her reaction.

~~~The Cave~~~

"Got it. Thanks for the heads up," Kaze sighed, rolling her eyes while addressing her internal com. Somewhere behind her she could already hear Jura enter their chambers and head for their bedroom. The G-morph would have been slamming the doors, if they weren't mechanically activated. Kaze decided to give her lizard lover a few minutes alone, before standing and following her to their room. There she found Jura staring at a wall as she lay on the bed, curled in a tight ball. "You okay?" Kaze asked, gently sitting down next to her.

"They offered me a place here. A place in their family," it was barely a dull whisper.  
"I know. They called and told me you freaked at the news," Kaze answers, pulling her lover up into a hug.

"I don't understand it!" Jura's fear and tears finally burst forth. "They said that they hardly ever invite people to join them, but that I had made the cut." She stammered, her mind not understanding what was happening. "I screwed up several times out there, but I'm good enough to join their family? Why do they want someone like me?"

"What's not to want?" Kaze smirked, doing her best to comfort Jura. "You're beautiful, you're smart, you care about others, you're not afraid to act when you see someone in trouble. I could go on singing your praises for an hour, pointy ears."  
"But I'm a screw up! When Ginoa and I attacked, we just made the monster stronger! If we hadn't had you to call on, that thing would still be on the loose!" the distraught G-girl whimpered. "Why would they want to invite someone like that into their family?"

"Why did we?" Kaze put forth the simple question. "Like my family, they see past any minor mistakes you've made. They can see the kind of person you really are, and since the potential of what you can become. Someone who will have their back when the chips are down. Someone who will be there when she's needed."

"But…" she sniffled, only to be silenced as Kaze lays a finger against her lips.

"Sssshh… Now listen would you? I know you still think of yourself as Damaged Goods, from all that crap they put you through as a kid. In spite of all the torture they put you through, you are still one of the most kind and loving people I've ever met. You're not much different from the Mothra clan in how you treat others, and despite what you are capable of, you've never even had an inclination to act like a bully," the Cyberdoll said, using a soft caring tone as she gently rocked Jura in her strong arms. "Of course the fact that I'm crazy about your radioactive ass means I'm slightly biased," she added with a grin.  
"Damn you…" Jura whipped her eyes, however there was a smile now on her quivering lips.  
"But seriously, they can see it, why can't you?" Kaze asked.

"The metal one is correct," a phantom voice wafted through the room.

"What the – " Kaze snarled as she spun off the bed, her scanners searching the room.  
"Kaze, it's ok…" Jura murmured, laying a calming hand on her arm. "Over there," she adds, as a spectral image began to take form. Within a heartbeat the shape sharpened into an image of a beautiful ghostly woman clad in a multi-colored kimono.

"Who the hell are you, and how did you manage to get in here?" Kaze demands, calling up her armor, and making ready to fight if the image managed to become physical.  
"I am a friend, child of metal. One who has offered council to this particular child of Gojira in the past, and who has come to drive home the point of your words to her," the woman answers.  
"Mosura," Jura squeaked happily.  
"Yes child. It has been some time, since we last contacted you. You had been doing so well, why do you now doubt yourself so?"  
"Mothra? How? Why? What the hell is going on?" Kaze demanded, for now she was the one unsure of what was happening.

"Listen well, child of metal. We great beasts, especially those who defended this world from its berth, are more than the monsters that are generally known. We are in fact different aspects of the world itself, and as such have abilities far beyond those known to your lore seekers. While our monstrous forms slumber, we are able to communicate with those willing to hear us through the dream realm. That was how we first offered guidance to your lover. Now that we are no longer bound, the Guardian Beasts have regained some of their other powers. Rarely have I had cause to appear like this outside of the dream realm, but her distress was so great that it could be felt even half a world away. The magic of my priestess' is helping me send this message to you both, for it is my decision that you know of this, to lighten her burden," the phantasmal image answers.

"What warnings have you come to offer me this time?" Jura asked, her expression clearly showing that she was expecting bad news.

"Only this child," the gossamer Mothra image answered. "Remember your past, learn from it, but do not let it poison you or your mind. You have grown far beyond the shackles of your childhood, and even if you cannot see your own worth, others can, and love you for who and what you ARE, not what you where raised to be. Others tried to force you into being a slave, and a weapon to fight against your own kind. But those are things that your heart refused to heed, instead seeking the path of your true destiny, as a guardian in your own right, and depending upon your chosen path to the future, a teacher and confidant for the next generation. Do not let self doubt destroy you, or what you have accomplished so far. The humans here, and yon metal lover, they see you far more clearly than you can see yourself, allow them to be your mirror, so you may see yourself as they do."

With that last bit of wisdom, the phantom seemed to shrink in on itself, until only a fairy Mothra was left hovering before them. Then it flapped it wings and flew up, passing right through the ceiling.

"Now I know why your dreams freak you out so much," Kaze remarked, still shocked at the encounter.  
"Yes, it really must be experienced to be understood," Jura smiled, feeling better now.  
"So are you going to pay attention to what she said? Or do I have to call Zoe and Maizy and have them beat you over the head with NERF swords until it all sinks in?" Kaze half threatens with a lopsided smile.  
"No fear of that. I have always listened when they speak to me, even if the lessons they have for me are difficult," Jura giggled.  
"Good, cause I was getting tired of seeing you all emo," she grinned.  
"Was I truly emo?" Jura blinked, shocked that she had fallen so far into self pity.  
"Extremely emo," Kaze confirmed. "But now that you're feeling better, I suppose it's time for the next bombshell."

"Oh joy. Like I haven't had enough of those already today," Jura shot back, heavy on the sarcasm.

"Well…Your plan for your costume wouldn't work, so I completely redesigned it, and came up with a few extra tricks to add to it," Kaze blurts out, and waits for explosion.  
"Why?" Jura arched an eyebrow, drawing out the word, as her eyes began to glow.  
"I was working on costumes for the mini's, and they hit me with a simple fact. Your good guy character wouldn't have a slave girl," Kaze explains.  
"So?" Jura asked. "I was going to say I'd just recently rescued you, and hadn't gotten rid of the bonds yet."  
"That might have worked," Kaze acknowledged. "But our plan works better, lots better."  
"And that is?" Jura questioned, more curious now, than angry.

"Welcome to the Dark Side," Kaze grinned mischievously, taking her hand, and pulling Jura from the room. "I've been wanting to show this to you since we, the mini's and I, came up with it, but it was a bit difficult, with you not being here and all." Stopping in the living room, Kaze calls up things on her computer, so Jura could see the changes.

"First, Milenna told me how to make a powder that glows red when in proximity to your background radiation frequency. I'm mixing some of it into body paint, and some styling gel for your hair. I also impregnated some contact lenses with it. Next we're going to paint you up with patterns like this," she said while calling up the next few images. "And dress you in something a little more eye catching than what you had planned."

"That reminds me, what about – " Jura began to ask, impressed by what Kaze had done so far.  
"Come on!" Kaze grins, pulling Jura toward the lift, so they can go to the hanger.  
"It's healed?" Jura's jaw dropped, her surprise eclipsing everything else when she saw her saber restored, instead of the collection of crystal shards that was there when she had left on her mission.  
"As of yesterday, I couldn't see any more cracks between the pieces. But I left it under the intense light to make sure," Kaze confirms. "And then there are these," she adds, reaching for something on a shelf that Jura couldn't see. With a sound only heard in the movies, Kaze was suddenly holding a humming red energy blade.  
"You got your crystal grown I see," Jura eyes lit up.  
"Here are yours," Kaze grinned back, tossing a pair of metal tubes toward Jura.

"Why do I have two?" she blinked, looking the cylinders over, until she locates the power studs.

"Because I think you would look impressive with a pair," Kaze retorts, while Jura triggers the devices, suddenly bathing herself in the blue glow from her blades.  
"Amazing. They have almost no weight at all, yet it feels like I'm holding my crystal blade," Jura whispered, moving into the open, before making a few practice swings, the hum from the blades increasing with motion.  
"Oh, it gets better," Kaze smirked, extinguishing her blade, and stepping up behind Jura. "You can connect yours together, like so," she explains, taking Juras' hands by the wrist, and guiding her to bring the butt ends of the weapons together, before locking them with a sharp twist.  
"And the damage setting?" Jura inquired.  
"Already set on stun," Kaze answers, pointing to where the selector sat. "And I put the selector under a panel so it couldn't get changed by accident."  
"Good thinking," Jura agrees. Bringing her weapon up, she deactivates one of the blades. "Shall we?" she asks, taking up a ready pose.  
"Bring it," Kaze grins, igniting her own blade once again, and preparing herself.  
"Gladly," Jura nods, dashing in, and using everything she had been taught so far about sword play.

~~~Halloween Night~~~

"Ginoa and John are currently taking Maddie "trick or treating" at his mother's and I have finally finished the required preparations for Dr. Chapmans additional guests," Monique states, as she enters the on-site apartment like quarters where she and Randy now lived. "Now then, I believe it is time for me to finally see the costume you have picked out for me, non?"

"Yeah, about that…" Randy admits warily, scratching the back of his head. "I kinda ran in to a slight problem with that…"  
"I DO have a costume, correct? And it IS acceptable?" Monique demands in that cold tone only she could manage.  
"Yes to the first," the hacker froze, fear gripping his soul. "And 'God I hope so', to the second," he answered.  
"Then let us get this over with," she sighed.  
"It's… not here," he tells her.  
"Then how am I supposed to wear it?" she questions, clearly becoming annoyed.  
"I had to ask Kaze for help, and she insisted that you pick it up from her. I haven't even seen it yet," he answers her.  
"….If I am displeased…" she warns, clenching her fists.  
"I'll shoot myself and save you the trouble," he flinches.  
"Non, you will not be getting off THAT easily," she snorted, heading for the door. "If I do not like it, YOU will be the one to don it instead."  
"Well, that could be…" he started to brighten.  
"And no sex for the next month," she called back before slamming the door shut.

"Oh god… Kaze, I hope you kept it tasteful," Randy whispers a prayer, after Monique has left.

~~~The Cave~~~

"I was informed that I could find my costume here?" Monique announced, once Kaze had let her into the hanger.  
"Yup," she answers, turning to lead the way. "It's downstairs in one of the spare bedrooms."  
"Has Jura recovered? We did not mean to upset her so," Monique apologizes.  
"Yeah, she's okay," Kaze attempted to explain as she waited for the elevator doors to open. "Once in a while, she has self worth doubts."  
"That could prove to be a problem," Monique remarked as they boarded the lift. "If she has breakdowns of that nature on a regular basis,"  
"Actually, it's the first one since she and I have hooked up. The last "episode" we'll call it, happened shortly after we first met," Kaze told the French spy. "And that one was more along the lines of having difficulty dealing with all the freedom she suddenly had."  
"Ah. You have been a stabilizing influence on her then?" Monique asked.  
"I like to think so," a lopsided smile accompanied the answer. "But let's face it, when you grow up as a lab rat, anyone or anything that can offer some semblance of stability and security is going to be needed. I'm just lucky she chose me."

"Indeed," Monique returned the smile. "Now then, let us see this costume you and Randy have decided I'm going to wear."

"Okay, first off, he picked the character, and when all he could find to build the costume where things that he KNEW you would have a fit about, he came to me," Kaze tells her, leading the way to the spare room, and the gleaming metal case occupying the bed.  
"….Well, that makes it less likely that I will have to discipline him," she admitted after a moment.  
"Yeah, and I'm harder to hurt, so don't bother trying," Kaze ginned back, opening the case, and pulling out a body suit of deep blue.  
"Well, I suppose this is better than body paint," the spy sighed.  
"Since its bullet proof, knife proof, and fire proof? Yeah, I'd say so," Kaze said before giving the spy a wink. "Though I would still like to see what you looked like as Cortana."  
"Depending on how this turns out, I might be willing to show you the pictures," Monique said while rubbing the material between her fingers. "What did you construct it from? It feels like silk."  
"It's woven from the same material as my hair," Kaze answered. "Which means that it's a very fine, and highly flexible Z alloy wire."  
"I don't see any closure. How do you seal it?"Monique questioned, flipping the suit over and inspecting the back.  
"It's something like microscopic Velcro," Kaze showed her, pressing the edges together, where they sealed and appeared perfectly whole.  
"Very well," Dupre nodded, removing her jacket, and beginning to unbutton her shirt.  
"One thing," Kaze says. "You can't wear anything under it.

Monique's steely gaze speaks volumes.

"Don't give me that look. I made sure that the top fits like a sports bra, so you will have some support, and that the bottom is thick enough to NOT display French camel toe," Kaze crossed her arms as she spoke. "But I strongly suggest you NOT gain any weight, 'cause this thing won't stretch."  
"I will take that under advisement," Monique stated coolly, disrobing completely, before stepping into the body suit. Pulling it up, she took a few extra moments to ensure she was well seated in the front, yet she paused before pulling it over her shoulders. "You know, tactically speaking, it might not be so bad if curtain things showed… a little."  
"Oh really?" Kaze blinked in surprise.  
"A spy is trained to use everything she has to her advantage," Monique gave a sly smile before saying. "That, and it will drive Randy, how do they say, buggy?"

"Got it, let me give you a hand with that then," moving up behind her, Kaze quickly helped rearrange the body suit just a tad, here and there so that there was a bit more form to it. After using her great strength to mold bits of the weave, she then helped Monique slip into the suit before sealing the back by running a finger lightly up the spy's spine, sealing the material together.

Monique has to fight down a shudder at the erotic touch.

"Here are the gloves and booties, you add these once you seal the lower arms and legs," Kaze said, handing over the next parts of the costume.  
"This is truly amazing. I can barely feel any weight at all from this material," Monique marveled, running her fingers up her arms and down her legs, sealing the suit together. Pulling on the gloves and boots, she does the same, sealing everything below her chin into the suit.  
"And everything is covered," Kaze points out, referring to her earlier crack about body paint.  
"Yet still on display," Monique adds, grinning at the sex-bot. "What is next?"  
"These," Kaze answered, pulling out a pair of open toe sandals with no heal, that wrap to mid shin before being tied off.

Sitting on the bed, Monique makes quick work of the footwear. "Next?"

"Shin guards," Kaze handed over the leg armor with the spiked knee guards.

After tying those in place, Monique holds out her hand with a, "Next."

"Here. It buckles across the chest," Kaze said, handing over a torso harness.  
"What is this for?" Monique wondered as she slipped her arms though the holes, centering the horizontal straps across her back, and buckling the closures above and beneath her bust.  
"Need something to hang the swords off of," Kaze pointed out. "Not to mention the armor."  
"More Armor?" the spy asked, wondering just what she was getting.  
"These go on the shoulders," Kaze informed her, handing over a pair of stylized skulls.  
"They simply hook to the harness?".  
"Yup. I tried to keep the whole thing as simple as possible, yet still keep the look." Kaze beamed with pride as Monique inspected the pieces.  
"And who am I supposed to be again?" she questioned while putting the shoulder armor on and playing with it a bit before getting it hooked in place.  
"If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm not going to tell you. If you can't figure it out after you're dressed, then I'll tell you," Kaze informs her, pulling out some more armor. "These strap to your forearms."  
"Is that a hinge?" Monique looked closer at one of the guards.  
"Yes, but don't worry about it until later. I included a few extras, which I will explain once you're all decked out," Kaze answered.

"Alright, next piece?" Dupre asked, once she has properly seated the armor on her arms and pulled the straps tight.  
"This," Kaze held out a mask.  
"Ahh… What is Halloween without a mask, no?" the spy smirked, taking the mask and inspecting it, before fitting it over her lower face. "How do I attach it?"  
"Let go," Kaze grins again.

Doing so, Monique was surprised to find the mask remaining in place. "How?"

"A special bio adhesive. It's strong enough to hold the mask, but releases when you pull on it… without ripping your face off I might add," Kaze answers, as Dupre pulled the mask free with a small tug.  
"Clever," Monique admits, replacing the mask.  
"Now for the last pieces of the costume," Kaze announced, pulling a pair of sheathed long daggers from the case.  
"Ah, so I am to be Taki. Are they real?" the spy inquired.  
"As real as your chest," Kaze smirked back. "And just like your chest, even more dangerous than they appear."  
"Oh?" Monique returns, arching an eyebrow.

Pulling one of the blades slightly from its sheath, Kaze displays a pressed mark.

"You forged these from Z?" Monique blinked in surprise.  
"Monique everything you are wearing is Z. The suit is cyberdoll hair, constructed with Z. the harness and boots are cyberdoll skin, again constructed with Z. and of course the metal parts are Z. If not for the fact that the impact would likely kill you, I'd say you could take a .50 caliber shot to the chest right now. And even if it does, there wouldn't be any penetration of that suit," Kaze tells her.  
"I will try not to test that theory anytime soon," she smiled, however it quickly faded when she couldn't get the blades to attach to the harness. "I appear to need some assistance in getting these seated properly."  
"Got you covered," Kaze moved over, and with a few tugs, has the blades placed properly.  
"Impressive. Randy will be pleased, both with the way I look, and by the fact I'll not be withholding curtain pleasures for the next month," the spy grinned beneath the mask.  
"Now for the extras," Kaze tells her, her manic grin back in full force.

~~~Two Hours Before Party~~~

"Okay, we've got things handled up at the commons. You need our help with anything before we suit up?" Ratchet asked, as the mini's entered the hanger, and head toward the special lockers that held their armor.  
"Suit up, then come down. We're going to need some extra hands to finish getting ready," Kaze tells them over the intercom, which she accessed with her com gear.  
"You heard her girls, let's get dressed," Squint adds, leading the pack as they unlock the cases, and begin transforming themselves into the shortest Mandalorian Super Commandos on record… and the coolest.

"You're sure about this?" Jura called from the other room, while Kaze was forced to lay still, her hair in a bowl of nano-fluid that was bonding new fibers to her locks, increasing the length.  
"I'd come and help you myself, but someone insisted I have long hair for my costume," Kaze shot back, irritated at how long the process was going to take.  
"You're going to look stunning, and you know it," Jura called back, a grin evident in her tone.  
"You are going to have them freaking out, pointy ears," Kaze smirked, imagining the looks they would receive when they entered the room.

"We're ready, bring us down," Ratchet's voice called over the intercom, once the half pint k-girls had assembled on the personal lift.  
Kaze didn't bother to answer, instead, just remotely activated the lift.

"Is anyone other than me weirded out with the way she can control everything in here with just her mind?" Snickers asked quietly.  
"Deal with it," Ratchet retorted. "You build your own place like she did, you can trick it out anyway that suits you."  
"Or better yet, all of us," Einstein giggled.  
"Let's go girls," Squint ordered once the lift had stopped, leading the way toward the main living room in a trot.  
"Wait a tick," Einstein paused and glanced towards Ratchet. "Aren't you supposed to be our leader?"  
"Hey, if Squint wants to be Monique's Mini-Me, then let her…" she gave a shrug before slipping on her helm. "I still out rank her."

"Okay, I need one of you to help Jura, and the other three in here to help me," Kaze announced when she was sure the mini's could hear her without the intercom.  
"I'm in here," Jura called helpfully, from their bedroom.

"Snickers, you get the lizard. We'll take the mech," Squint ordered.  
"On it," the grey garbed mini gave a curt nod, before scampering off to the other room.  
"So what did you need, Ka-holy crap!" Ratchet began to ask before interrupting herself in surprise.  
"I need this mess braided, and I don't have any practice dealing with super long hair," Kaze admits. By now she had finished with the bonding agent and was trying to brush out the tangles that had formed in her rather long hair, but to no avail.  
"…..Go wash it, and use the soap to help you rake the snarls out with your fingers," Einstein suggested.  
"What do any of us know about long hair?" Squint muttered.  
"Didn't any of you ever pay attention to Zuki?" the mini's brain trust demanded, her midnight blue faceplate staring impassively at them.  
"Guess not," Ratchet muttered with a sigh. "Okay Einstein, you have lead on this one."  
"Go," the blue garbed Mini ordered, pointing toward the bathroom.  
"Yes ma'am," Kaze chuckled, following the ankle-biter's directions.

"What the heck did you do to yourself?" Snickers breathes in shock when she got her first look at the new Jura.  
"You should know, you helped Kaze plan this," Jura glanced back at her.  
"Yeah I know we did, but…DAMN!" The little medic admitted, staring at the softly glowing markings that now covered Jura's body. "I for one, didn't expect it to be this… extreme,"  
"Yeah, yeah… So are you going to help lace me up?" Jura asked, holding her top over her breasts, and turning away from the Mini-G.  
"Oh, sure-sure," Snickers replied quickly, bounding up Jura's tail and the chair the G-girl was in to get into position without needing to use her flight pack. "Why didn't Red make this so it laced up in the front?" she wondered.  
"Because it's a real pain to get things to sit right between the dorsal plates," Jura admits, as the smaller girl begins to tighten the top, making sure to split the cords to fit around her Godzilla spines.  
"Where is the rest of your outfit?" the medic inquired, since Jura was just wearing what looked like a leather thong with the split leather corset top she just helped lace said monster-girl into.

"Except for the open skirt over there," Jura nodded to a pile of black resting on the bed. "This is all of it."

"Need me to get that for you," Snickers asked as Jura stood, and moved to the bed.  
"No, this is a simple snap," Jura flashed a toothy smile at the mini, her new contacts making her eyes glow demonically, giving the expression a fearsome look.  
"…..If I didn't know that it was you in there," Snickers admitted with an audible gulp. "I would probably be wetting my armor right now…"  
"Good. That is the point of Halloween isn't it? To hide from the bad things by pretending to be one of them?" Jura gave a manic grin, swirling the strips that made up the skirt, around herself, before snapping the ends of the waist together over one hip, baring that leg.  
"Do you have a name for this costume?" Snickers blinked, taking in the newly transformed Goji-girl.  
"Yes, Kaze came up with it," Jura nodded as she peered down at Snickers. "Darth Gojuuris, Dark Lady of the Sith."  
"You DEFFINATLY fit the bill," the mini-Mandalorian said with a shiver.  
"Thank you," Jura grinned, reaching out with her mind to the crystals that Kaze had integrated into her new toys.

Snickers nearly jumped out of her armor when the metal cylinders leapt from the bed, and into Jura's waiting hands. "….How the Hell?" she squeaked in jaw dropping surprise.

"Do what?" Jura asked, an evil grin on her face as she ignited the swords, and sent them spinning through the air around the mini a few times, before calling them to her hands once more. Powering them down, she hung them both from the waist of her skirt, one on either side of her spinal plates. "Come, let us go see how my slave is faring," She adds, changing her voice into a husky purr for her new character.

"…Oh Fuck…" Snickers muttered to herself as she trailed Jura out of the room. "What have we created?"

"You guys are sure you can handle this?" Kaze wondered aloud while the three mini-g's move in a simple dance behind her at Einstein's direction.  
"Trust me, this is working," the computer geek retorted, as she and the others continued the dance, each of them holding a long bundle of Kaze's radically lengthened hair. As a result, no one but Kaze sees Jura and Snickers enter the room.  
"Why isn't my slave ready yet?" Jura growled, narrowing her eyes.  
"Sorry, Mistress, but we are having difficulties with the new length of my hair," Kaze whimpered in a meek tone, the slight reprogramming Jura pulled on her in retaliation for switching her costume, finally kicking in.

"Done! What are we supposed to tie it off with?" Einstein asked, stepping out from behind Kaze, and getting her first look at the transformed Jura. With an odd "Yipp!" she quickly dove back behind the cover of the Cyberdoll and the chair.

"What's with you?" Squint gave a snort, stepping around her frightened sister, and stopping short.  
"There is a hair-tie and ornamental braid band on the table behind you. Be quick about finishing her preparation," Jura ordered.  
"Y-yes Ma'am," Squint stuttered, turning and leaping toward the table to grab the mentioned items.  
"Mistress, is it really necessary to scare the crap out of your honor guards?" Kaze questioned, still trapped in the meek and respectful tone of voice when addressing Jura.  
"Sorry, got a little too deep into character, didn't I?" Jura said in her normal voice, before winking at Snickers.  
"What is going on over there?" Ratchet demanded once Squint had joined her and finished tying off Kaze's braid.  
"Take a look for yourself," Einstein whispered, still cowering out of sight.  
"Holy!" Ratchet blurted out, getting her first look at Jura, her hands reflexively dropping to rest on her holstered pistols.  
"You don't want to draw those," Jura warns, her tone going dark again. "I might get upset if you do."  
"I wasn't aware that a change in personality was part of her costume," the flame hued mini demanded of Kaze.  
"It's called being in character," Jura retorts. "And don't talk about me like I'm not here. It's rude, and irritating."  
"She has a point," Snickers adds, surprised to find herself on Jura's side.  
"Maybe so, but cut me a little slack when the good girl who can flatten a mountain suddenly appears looking like a demon's wet dream. It's enough to make anyone act a little rude," Ratchet glared back.  
"So what's your excuse now that you know she's still under that look?" Kaze asked.  
"And why is it you can talk to us normally, but you go all wimpy when you talk to her? I've heard you tell her she was being stupid to her face before, so this is beyond weird," Ratchet leered.  
"See earlier comment about being in character," Jura jumped back in, saving Kaze from having to make up something to explain what was going on. "Lighten up little one, we are going to a party after all."

"Do you mind if I finish getting what little there is to my costume on?" the Cyberdoll winked at the mini's, reminding them that she had just barely dried off from the shower before they went back to work on her hair.  
"If you must, but I suppose we can't very well take you over as is," Jura returned wistfully. "I have a feeling the good doctors would be a bit upset if we did."  
"Probably. We monster girls can get away with parading around minus the clothes, but they tend to go all uptight when anything that looks like a normal does it," Einstein piped up, hearing Jura's normal tone helped give her the courage to stop hiding.  
"Time to dress the doll then," Jura grinned at Kaze.  
"Yes Mistress," Kaze sighed, putting on her metal bikini top, and barely there thong before wrapping the silver band holding the trailing shear fabric around her waist, dangling the nearly transparent black material between her legs, with another curtain barely wide enough to hide her butt.  
"Why did you change the colors to black, silver and red?" Squint arched an eye. "They are supposed to be gold and maroon.  
"She kept the gold, just moved it to her hair," Jura answers her.  
"And red and black are MY colors," Kaze adds, reminding them about her armor, and the Mazinkaiser. "Why should I use some ugly brown when this looks so much better?"  
"You can't deny that the colors suit her," Snickers tossed in her two cents.

"Some of the extra guests are arriving," Kaze suddenly announced, her feed from the scanners in the hanger informing her of the expected helicopter landing outside.

"Who is it?" Squint wondered.  
"I believe it's some of Dr. Chapman's family. A cousin or something," Kaze answered with a shrug.  
"Time for one last bit before we go out," Jura called over her shoulder, as she left to retrieve a few items. Stepping back in, she hands a large bundle of black fabric to Kaze, before unfolding a similar bundle, to reveal a simple hooded cloak. "I did give you the solid backed one, right?" she asked of Kaze.  
"No, Mistress, this one is split down the back," Kaze answered, unfolding hers, and displaying the division.  
"Never fails," Jura rolled her eyes with a sigh as she and Kaze swapped items.  
"What are those for?" Ratchet questioned.  
"Well, we don't want to give away our little surprise TOO early, do we?" Jura retorts, hauling the hood up, and making sure the cloak drapes over her shoulders, closing in front , while only allowing her spinal plates to show through the back.  
"This way, we don't show off all the work until we are in the commons building," Kaze adds.  
"Hold out your hands, slave," Jura gave the order.  
"Yes Mistress," Kaze snapped back into character, holding her hands out in front of her, so that Jura can snap on the black enameled shackles, and connect the silver chain.  
"What the Fuck?" Squint barked. "What the hell are those for?"  
"I don't like dog collars, so we went with this option," Jura stated.  
"And there is enough slack in the chain for me to do pretty much anything I want to," Kaze grinned back.  
"So why not take them off," Einstein questioned.  
"She promised me she would keep them on unless I gave her permission to remove them during the party," Jura interrupted, again saving Kaze from having to explain why she couldn't go against Jura's orders.  
"She must really love you, to go through all this crap," Snickers remarked with a shake of her head. "I'd never let anyone chain me up like that."  
"Well, if we are all ready, then let's go," Ratchet ordered, replacing her helm.  
"Let's," Jura smirked in agreement, her eyes glowing under the dark shadows of the hood.  
"Damn, that's just creepy," Einstein muttered, as she and Squint bring up the rear as the group headed for the lift platform.

~~~Right after Kaze's Announcement~~~

"So what do you think they are using for costumes?" Elsie glanced to Nick as the pair approach the recently arrived Jet-Ranger helicopter.  
"They're your relations, not mine. How would I know what multi-millionaires would wear for Halloween," Nick said as the blades stop spinning, and the large side door facing them slid open.  
"Looks like we're about to find out," Elsie said while eyeing the door, only to gasp in surprise when a 9 foot tall, orange/red furred, were-wolf stepped down from the aircraft. Following closely behind was an equally large robotic gargoyle with crimson armor over silver "skin".

After a hair raising howl that sent chills down the Doctor's spines, the werewolf faces them and asks in a female voice, "Are we fashionably late?"

"Janine? Is that really you in there?" Elsie gawked. Her voice still shaking in surprise.  
"Now Dr. Chapman, you know full well she prefers to be called Fox. She DID have it changed after all," The gargoyle adds, a smirk evident in his voice, even as his faceplate remained impassive.  
"And no one can match the level of condensation you can put into the simplest of comments, Mr. Xanatos," Nick smirked, stepping forward and holding out his hand to the robotic monster.  
"Just as fearless as your reputation makes you out to be," Xanatos remarked, taking the offered hand in his larger clawed grip. "Pleasure to finally meet you in person, Dr. Tatopoulos," he finished, correctly pronouncing the name before releasing his grip.  
"I'm sorry we missed your wedding, but there was something we had to take care of personally overseas," the werewolf apologized as she pulled Elsie into a hug.  
"Oh, we understand how that kind of thing works," Nick waved the apology away.  
"We've had the same kinds of issues pop up at times, ourselves," Elsie confirmed as she lead the way back toward the commons, and the site of the party. "So don't worry about hurt feelings."  
"So what made you choose to wear the battle armor?" Nick asked, examining the suit with a critical eye, and making note of the wing hinges and exhaust port. "And should we be expecting a visit from Chief Detective Maza later tonight?"

"I told you they didn't miss much," Fox purred over a privet com channel to her husband.

"No, the good Detective has other plans tonight. And this has always been one of my favorite costumes actually," Xanatos answered with a chuckle. "It's hermetically sealed and completely flight worthy," He said, holding up an arm so Nick can see it from behind, he activates the weapons, causing the armored panel to lift, and the barrel of the laser lance to slide forward. "And fairly well armed as well."  
"Well, I doubt you will need that function tonight," Nick returns dryly. "The kids are planning to be on their best behavior."  
"Oh, I didn't think I'd be shooting anyone tonight doc, just showing off a bit… I really am proud of this armor," Xanatos gave a sly grin, once he had removed the face plate with a hiss of released air.  
"And where did you get such a frighteningly realistic costume Fox?" Elsie questioned as she opened the main doors to the commons. "And how are you even controlling it so well? It's at least twice the size of you!"

"The same place David got his. His personal development labs," Fox giggled, reaching up and grabbing her wolf head in both hands, before giving it a hard twist, and lifting it clear. "His battle suit technology isn't ready for mass production, but it is quite functional, and customizable," she adds, running a clawed hand through her released mane of hair.

"And the color is a perfect match for you," Elsie grinned over her shoulder. "Although I don't think I will EVER get used to that tattoo of yours."  
"What can I say?" Foxe returned with a shrug and a smile. "I just have to be me."  
"And I wouldn't want you any other way," Xanatos adds, pulling her in for a quick kiss.  
"That makes two of us," Nick adds, giving Elsie a look full of meaning.  
"Careful Clyde, you'll make me blush, then I'd have to shoot ya," Elsie smirked back.  
"As long as it's with the Nerf guns we got for the occasion, I don't mind," Nick shoots back with a grin.

"I was not aware that we were planning to have combat here tonight," Monique commented, in her usual neutral tone, as she steps around the corner ahead of them. "However, I am dressed for it if there is."

"….You HAD to have help from Kaze for that costume," Elsie remarked, after the shock of Monique's attire wore off.  
"Oui, but this was more Randy's idea than my own. He picked it out, then asked her to construct it for me," she explains, her mask hiding any flush of embarrassment she might have had.  
"And this must be the infamous security specialist that I keep hearing about," Xanatos remarked. "About the only details my research department can dig up on you, are that you're "female", and "French"."

"Monsieur David Xanatos, Mademoiselle Janine (Fox) Xanatos, parents of Alexander Xanatos, your only child to date. Both have been convicted of various crimes, and both have served their time. There are several rumors about the goings on in your Castle topped skyscraper, but I'm certain that you will be irritatingly vague in any answers you might give on those subjects, so I will not even bother to ask at this point," Monique calmly states, proving that she had quite a bit more on them. "Your powered combat armor is impressive enough. Although…I must ask, how many times have you watched "Iron Man"?"

That got chuckles from most everyone, and left Xanatos flat footed for a moment.

"Actually he was working on the project long before the movie ever even started production," Fox informs her, laughter flashing in her eyes. "It's just a coincidence that he's also an avid collector of the Iron-Man comic books."  
"And that I happen to like Hot-Rod Red," Xanatos gave a grumbling shrug.  
"And you? You are wearing a similar suit, are you not?" Monique inquired of Fox.  
"You are good," Xanatos admited. "Yes, her costume is a variation on this design. As you can see, we gave it a fake fur coat, and a completely animatronic headpiece. However, the trade off is that it's not flight capable, and has limited weaponry."  
"But I can jump a fair distance," Fox grins, challenging the spy to ask any more.  
"Interesting. I must request you refrain from deploying any on board offensive capabilities you may have," she eyed them while moving to the side of the hall, allowing the group to pass.  
"Oh? Are you that afraid we might hurt the kids?" Fox paused, wondering why they are getting warned a second time about weapons.  
"Non. I fear that if you decide to deploy your weapons systems, that some of the students may take it as a challenge and smash you through a few walls," Monique bluntly pointed out. "Good behavior takes second place to self preservation at this Academy."  
"Now I'm beginning to be impressed with this school," Xanatos grins, as they continue into the commons.  
"Thinking we should send Alexander here once he's old enough," Fox inquired of her husband.  
"Learning how to live with and get along with non-humans," the billionaire said with a shrug. "If you ask me, that could be quite a boon in the near future."

~~~Girls Dorm~~~

"I am going to knock them dead," Rexi grinned at her reflection, running her fingers over the arm guard, and admiring the way the costume accented her unique figure. Picking up her sword, she poses with it for a moment, before spinning into a quick practice routine, the sword transforming and snaking its way through the motions she demands, before snapping back together at the end.

"Oh yeah, I have the look, AND the skill," she beamed, exiting out of her dorm, and heading to the commons. 

"Are you ready yet Philippe?" Jenifer Cross, John's mother and HEAT's legal counsel, asked as she entered the guest room where her escort for the evening was supposed to be changing.

"It is not what I would have chosen for myself, but yes, I believe I am ready," The super spy, and Monique's boss, answered as he stepped out of the attached bathroom.  
"Well, you are a bit tall for the character, But I'm not exactly reed thin for mine either," the normally blond woman returns with a chuckle, making a slight adjustment to her raven black wig.  
"Be that as it may, you do look quite fetching in that gown. Perhaps you should keep it to wear on another occasion?" the smooth talker gave her a sly grin, putting on the suit coat that finished out his costume.  
"Only if you agree to burn yours after the party," she smiled back. "A maroon suit with grey pinstripe is simply NOT you."  
"Madame, it would be a pleasure," he bowed to her and, taking her hand, gave it a gentle kiss.  
"Come on "Gomez", we're already running late, and we still have to deal with traffic on the way to the wharf," she grins at him, turning to leave.

"As you wish, "Morticia"," he said as he quickly stepped up to offer her his arm, escorting her out to the waiting limo.

Back at the party:

"Whoa. Impressive spread Doc," Xanatos remarked as the group entered the main hall.  
"Some of our members have interesting skills that have nothing to do with monster hunting or science," Nick answered, a bit of pride showing.  
"Obviously," Fox noted while taking a deep breath, enjoying the smell of the various foods.

"If you want something, grab it quick, it's almost time to put the masks back on," Elsie warned, checking her watch for the up-teenth time.

No sooner had Fox re-attach her wolfs head then the first of the students begin to arrive. First to show was Modo, clad in a fairly well tailored tuxedo. "A tux… Well that narrows the greatest ladies man list down somewhat," Nick smirked at the M-boy.

"I'm betting on something British," Fox remarked.  
"Mr. Bond I presume?" Elsie grinned at the komodo boy.  
"But of course," he said in the worst fake British accent, while taking her offered hand to kiss.  
"I assume you want this shaken, rather than stirred?" Xanatos quipped as he offers the teen a cup of punch.  
"Yes, now all I need is a Bond Girl or two to make my costume complete," Modo gave the metal gargoyle a predatory grin.

"You might just get your wish before the night is over," Nick remarked as the next pair arrive.

"The evil wizard and his "pet" demon?" Xanatos hazard a guess when Senjyu and Nita entered the room.

Nita blushed, though no one could tell for she has painted herself blood red. Tonight she had given up her normal apparel, a men's extra-large shirt(with little or nothing else), and had dawned a micro-kini top on. Said leather top helped thrust her already ample bosom out high and tight, and gave the impression that she was on the verge of spilling out of her demonic costume. A pair of fake bat wings strapped to her back, and a rolled up whip attached at her hip were a nice finishing touch. Her Gigan-boy on the other hand was dressed up in fancy old style maroon vest over a blue ruffled shirt and tight fitting black pants. A crimson cape trimmed with gold sigils hung from his shoulders, held clasped by an odd looking medallion with a glowing eye in its center. Rounding out his costume was a good sized staff, with a light up ball of some sort just above his eye level.

"Your costume is quite…..daring," Fox admitted to Nita once the pair has ventured close enough to chat.

"Thank you," the worm girl nodded, her new coloring making her seem more threatening than her normal cool blue and creamy tan.  
"It was a trade off," Senjyu gave out a growl. "If I had to dress like a reject from a Marvel comic book, then she had to wear as little as possible… to compensate."

That got a bit of a chuckle from the married couples, however before Nick can stop himself, "If that's all it takes, then she's got you pretty well trained." This time the room filled with laughter.

"What's that supposed to mean," Senjyu snarled, his features beginning to shift, becoming more Gigan-like.  
"Dear, Behave," Nita warned with a throaty purr, laying a hand on his shoulder as she adds, "Or else…"  
"Two cups of punch please," the boy's voice cracked, his face returning to human once he saw her other hand moving towards her whip.  
"Here you go," Elsie was trying hard not to giggle as she handed the cups to Fox, who in turn passed them over to the kids.  
"Thank you," Nita grinned, nodding to the adults before scootching away, Senjyu a half pace behind her.

"Well trained indeed," Fox giggles, her smirk hidden by her mask.

"Yes, he has been much easier to deal with since becoming a couple with Nita," Monique adds, she and Randy having slipped in from a side door and had joined the group while the others were distracted.

"I see you've been working out," Elsie quipped, elbowing the hacker in the ribs, after taking in his "Elvis like" hair, and open vest that helped showcase his bare washboard abs.  
"I wasn't given much choice in that matter," Randy reddened, shooting a look to his partner and her skintight blue bodysuit.  
"It was for your own good. Sitting all day at your computer eating microwave burritos was having an adverse affect on your health," Monique stated, not bothering to hide her contempt for his eating habits. Instead she kept her eyes on the door that most of the others were entering through as she finished with. "And besides, you last longer now…"

The rest were trying very hard to allow Randy to maintain some dignity after that rebuttal, and the next entrants give them an excuse to change the subject.

"Told you she was going to make good on her threat," Nick chuckled as a person, dressed in a New York Zoo employee's outfit walked in, followed closely by Sonia.  
"But what is our little bat girl dressed as?" Elsie blinked, staring at the rags that barely cover the bat-girl, and the way her fur has been lightened to a ghostly shade of white.  
"I'm a Banshee," she announced, giggling as the pair walk up to the group.  
"Since I'm assuming she has a sonic scream, that makes a pretty good match," Fox remarked.  
Oh, yes, she definitely has the pipes for the part," M'garra confirmed, beaming with pride at her ghostly lover. "Helped save my butt awhile back."

Sonia could only grin as she sipped at her punch.

"Holy crap. That is the most accurate costume I've ever seen," Randy sputtered in surprise, quickly everyone turned to find Morrigan, from the Darkstalkers games, slowly making her way towards them.  
"She looks like a life sized cartoon character," Monique added, staring curiously at the girl. "I can only think of one of our students capable of this."  
"Who would that be?" Xanatos wondered aloud as the faux succubus sashayed over… However, the hypnotic spell she had cast upon entering the room, vanished the moment she spoke.

"Hi everyone! How do you like my costume? Isn't it awesome? And it was really easy for me to do to! All I had to do was surf the net for a few hours or so to find the right look. Tookmeawhilethough, hadtoscrollthroughalotofporn. ," she began to ramble off as was usual for this particular M-girl.

"Pepper," the HEAT members all deadpan in a groan.

As the girl blathered on and on, now stuck on internet porn, her face slowly shifted from the impossible beauty of the succubus, back to Peppers' normal looks… though she did manage to maintain the rest of her "costume".

"What the hell is she?" Xanatos asked his wife over their private com.  
"She reminds me of that disaster in Australia. The nanotech experiment," she answered.  
"Yes, she is a nanotechnological colony. And I would like more information on this "incident" you are speaking of Mademoiselle," Monique's voice broke in, shocking the pair that she could gain access to their battle suit's com systems.  
"How?" Xanatos demanded, as the pair turned to stare at the blue garbed ninja.

"Please, you think you are the only person in this world with access to advanced technology?" she returned, her smirk hidden by her mask.

The next round of the impending fight is derailed by the appearance of Craven and NIGAL.

"What's with the extra paint on him Crave-man?" Randy wondered.  
"Like I'd tell you," the robot gave his rival a snide answer, finishing the comment with a most irritating laugh, using the voice of a well known cartoon character.  
"That was supposed to be a prank," Randy almost growled, annoyed that the fat scientist had managed to upstage him with his own trick.  
"What can I say, you tipped your hand on the boat, and since NIGAL's normally yellow, it made it easy to call it a costume for him," Craven returned with a smug grin.  
"Nice Ghostbuster suit," Nick added, attempting to change the subject back to where it belonged. "Too bad you couldn't make a working proton pack, it'd be an interesting addition to our arsenal."

"Who says?" Mendel grinned wickedly, drawing the complicated looking wand from the side of his backpack. "It took me a bit of tweaking to get the right sound, but…" he trailed off as he hit the power switch with his thumb. Instantly the backpack came to life with a loud "Chunk!" that quickly tapered off in the more familiar "Thrum" sound associated with the movie.

"No-" Elsie began.  
"-Way," Randy finished.  
"Who you go-n-ta-call?" NIGAL sang out happily.  
"You don't possess the knowledge for that bit of movie science practicality," Monique broke in.

"You're right, I modified one of those electrical prods that we used during the "Crackler" mess," Craven admitted. "So I can still zap you without blowing your molecules apart at the sub-atomic level," he added, shooting Randy a superior look.  
"Oh, you're going to pay for that," Randy muttered to himself so softly, that Monique barely caught it.

She was about to add her two cents when the next arrival entered the room, drawing everyone's attention.  
Without saying a word, she strutted over to the group of adults, took a cup of punch, grinned knowingly at Monique, before moving off to one of the couches that they had moved to the outer walls of the commons for the party. With a bit of smug satisfaction showing on her lips, and with all eyes watching her, she took a seat while acting like she owned the place.

"How did Rexy manage that costume?" Elsie asked in mild shock.  
"With a bit of assistance," Monique admits, impressed by the girls behavior.  
"So THAT was what started all those questions," Randy suddenly realized.  
"And ultimately led to this, I imagine," she agreed, gesturing at her own costume.

"Well, well, it looks like the Count is making his appearance, and he even brought his bride," Xanatos remarked, saving all his remaining questions for after the "costume parade" completes.

"Make that Brides," Elsie corrected him as two, much shorter, Brides entered behind her sister.  
"I'm surprised John-boy didn't do something more car related for his costume," Randy observed as the three undead approached.  
"I had planned to come as Speed Racer, but I was blindsided and outvoted," Dracula reported, after spitting his fake plastic fangs into his hand so he can be understood. "Besides, having Maddy dressed up as Chim-chim or Spritle, would have really fucked with my mind."  
"This was the only thing we could all agree on that would let us share a theme," Ginoa, Bride number one, adds, giving her boy toy a peck on the cheek.  
"I wanted a Harry Potter theme," Maddy, Bride number two, added, grabbing a cup of punch for herself.  
"But John said no because we already did that last Halloween," the other Maddy, Bride number three, pouted.  
"Well, I for one think you all look damn smashing in your outfits," Fox tells the group.  
"Thank you," Ginoa beamed.  
"So who is the ghost?" Xanatos asked, drawing everyone's attention back to the doors, as the person wearing the simplest of all costumes entered.

A sheet with a pair of eyeholes cut out.

Spotting a spiked tail as the ghost moved forward, and the way it constantly scans the room for anyone who looked to be getting to close. Monique called it, "I believe it is Tessy." This caused the ghost-girl to jerk her head toward them when she heard her name.

In a surprising burst of both stealth and speed, Tessy moved to the farthest and darkest corner of the commons, and attempted to fade from sight…

"Tessy is incredibly shy," Elsie explained with a sigh to the outsiders. "Fact is, I'm surprised she even came to the party."

And so it went, A pirate and her first mate, Cleopatra, a classic witch, and Marilyn Monroe showing up with M-girls under their skins. The next set of surprises came as doctors Milo and Otis arrived with Gidgit. Otis as Dr. Frankenstein, Milo as Igor, and Gidgit as the bride of Frankenstein.

Looking back and forth between the men, Elsie seemed to find the obvious, "Lost the coin flip Milo?"

At his grimace, Gidgit giggled, and added, "Aye 'e did at that. But we 'ad agreed before 'and, so 'e was stuck wit' it."

"You look pretty hot in that get up, Gidgit," Maddy-1, grinned up at her larger mecha-Gino cousin.  
"T'anks little one. I'm enjoying t'is bit o' dress up more t'an I t'ought I would," the cyborg smiled back.  
"And here come your friends," Ginoa adds to John as several anime Ninjas ventured through the door.

"Guys!" John called out happily, quickly stepping over to his friends, his "brides" following in his wake.  
"It's nice to see him get a chance to be with his old friends," Elsie smiled.  
"Yeah, we do tend to monopolize his time around here," Nick agreed.

"Oh Dear God… I never thought it would be possible," Monique deadpanned as the next pair entered the room.  
"Is that really?" Randy trails off.  
"No way in hell," Nick breathed.  
"Greeting my friends," Philippe smiled as he led John's mother over to the rest of the school's elders.  
"Ms. Cross, I think it's fortunate that your son hasn't noticed your entrance as yet. It may make my daughter jealous," Nick grinned.  
"Careful, Clyde….." Elsie gave a mocking growl.  
"I am suddenly wishing I had placed a better resolution of cameras in here. The pictures would be worth a fortune to your other subordinates," Monique grinned at her boss from behind her mask.  
"They would be equally as eager, if not more so for pictures of you, my dear," he said, taking note of where her costume emphasized bits of her anatomy.  
"I don't mind you two showing off for the troops back home," Randy butted in, yet he was grinning ear to ear. "But only if they know that I'm the one getting the real thing."  
"That bit of information has already spread throughout the agency," Philippe returned.  
"And?" Monique asked, aching one eyebrow.  
"Several operatives, both male and female, are quite jealous of Mr. Hernandez," her boss informed them with a wink.

"Well, well, well. It looks like we have an escapee from the eighties," Xanatos smirked under his faceplate at the latest arrival.

"Uncle Hicks!" Maddy squealed out as she rushed over to the Major, jumping up to give him a hug. "I can't believe you made it."  
"Careful kiddo, you'll make me lose my mustache," he chuckled, tipping his Detroit Tigers hat back on his head, while the little Bride of Dracula wrinkled his authentic Hawaiian T-shirt.  
"Well, I'm glad to see you all made it out tonight," Nick's mother tells the assembled adults, having snuck up on them from the kitchen area, her ornate witches hat making up for her otherwise less then modest costume. "The little ones and I were busy all day, so I hope we have enough to go the distance tonight."  
"Boo, I'm sure we will be fine," Elsie smiled at her mother-in-law.  
"Speaking of the ankle biters, where are the Minis?" Nick asked, noticing their absence.  
"When they left me in the kitchen, they said they were going to get their costumes," Boo tells them as she finished placing out the newest round of snacks. It was then that she took note of Hicks. "Oh Anthony, what a dashing costume, Magnum P.I. was one of my favorite shows… still is to this day."  
"Why thank you Mrs. Tatopoulos." The Major replied, only to be cut off.  
"I've told you before, call me Boney or Boo," the elder Tatopoulos scolded as she scooted closer, brushing her thin frame against his stockier build. "Or do I have to do something drastic to make you remember that?"

Hicks' only reply was to turn a burning shade of red.

"I think your mother has a crush on Hicks," Elsie whispered to her husband.  
"I think the feeling is mutual for him," Nick observed with a smile.  
"…Speaking of absentees, I haven't seen the instigator of this party, or her girlfriend yet," Randy cut in quickly, not having the stomach for the spectacle of over 40 romance.

"Well, well, this is an unexpected selection," M'Gara 's surprised voice drew everyone's attention back to the main entrance, and the latest arrival.

With a curly brown wig, small golden crown, and lemon yellow gown, Daisy looks almost human, and quite a bit less dangerous than normal. "Oh my, You look absolutely lovely in that gown dear," Boo gasps as the most volatile girl in the school walks up, clearly taking pains to "behave like a princess" as she was coached.

"Thank you," Daisy answered, carefully taking a cup of punch when Craven offered it.

Once she moves off, Monique remarked to the others, "I truly hope she can go all night without being set off by something. She has put much effort into that costume, and even more into her behavior."

"I suspect Nile had something to do with both the costume and the behavior. She IS about as close as you can get to Daisy's polar opposite," M'gara adds.  
"Is that everyone?" Xanatos questioned.  
"Not yet, there are still-" Randy started to answer him, only to be cut off as music suddenly blasted through the PA system.

The Imperial March to be exact.

As the imposing tones flooded the room, the doors were thrown opened by Squint and Einstein, their armor a stark contrast to the décor.

"…..And I thought the work she had done for the rest of us had been impressive," Monique admits, her expert eye going over the Armor on the two minis.

After they lock the doors open, they took their places in the center of the opening. Two much larger figures take their places behind them with the final two minis bringing up the rear as they all parade in.

"Have to give them credit for showmanship," Xanatos said with a smirk.  
"I have the feeling we haven't seen anything yet," Fox pointed out.

She was proven right when the minis suddenly ignited their jet packs, and flew up, Ratchet and Snickers snagging the hooded cloaks on their way past, revealing the pair. "Holy crap!" Craven gasped in shocked awe as everyone got their first look at the two lover's costumes. Kaze trailing behind Jura a respectful two paces as the Godzilla morph sashayed toward the group of elders.

"I trust everyone has been pleased with my slave's efforts for their costumes?" Jura inquired, using her "costume voice" and casting her burning gaze over the group.  
"…That IS still you in there, isn't it Jura?" Elsie blinked, shocked at the changes in the normally quiet girl.

The k-girl just smiled seductively and gives a single nod, enjoying the shock on their faces.

"Kaze, I assume you are responsible for these costumes as well?" Monique spoke up. Yet the Mazin girl kept her eyes on the floor, and remained silent until Jura remarks, "You where asked a question slave."

"Yes mistress," she answered quickly, haven been given permission to speak. "And no, My Mistress was the one who initially chose these costumes for us, I merely assisted her in making them fit the theme properly."  
"Kaze, why are you acting like this?" Nick almost demanded, not used to this side of the robo-girl.  
"She changed the premise of my costume while we were on Omega. So I insisted she act the part of a slave, in addition to dressing like one," Jura informs them.

When the others look back to the cyborg for confirmation, she nodded and adds. "It's true, and I'm going to play the part faithfully as long as My Mistress remains in costume."

"Are we sure she's not just afraid of the monster girl, and doing as she's told because of it?" Xanatos questioned, crossing his arms over his chest.

The look Jura gave the battle armored man caused the rest of the group to quietly step clear, including Fox. "You know nothing of my past, so I'm going to let that comment go due to ignorance," she growled, her eyes and the markings on her body, as well as her hair all glowing brighter as her temper slightly spikes her radiation.

"Mistress, if I may?" Kaze stepped between the two, stretching her confines to speak.  
"Speak," Jura growls.  
Turning to Xanatos, Kaze says, "If I can prove to you that she isn't coercing me, will you apologize?"  
"How do you plan to do that?" he wondered, intrigued by the question.  
"A simple arm wrestling match," she returned. "I win, you apologize and drop the subject."  
"That would hardly be fair, since I'm wearing power armor," Xanatos scoffed, not noticing as the HEAT team took another step back.  
"Actually, that is what will make it fair," Monique warned the multi-billionaire.  
"What do you really have to lose?" Fox asked of her husband… that was until she saw the look of dread in her cousin's eyes. "On second thought, maybe…"  
"Alright, find us a table that won't break, and you're on," he agreed all too quickly.

"No, make it one of the "disposable" ones," Nick countermanded. When David shot him a glance, the scientist gave a shrug, "Doesn't matter how strong it is, it's going to get wrecked, so we may as well not ruin a good one."

"I have better control than that Doc," Xanatos pointed out.  
"You are going to be picking yourself up off the floor," Jura snarled at him.  
"Too Deep," Snickers warns, poking the G-girl in the thigh.

Accepting the warning to back off, she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath letting the others continue.

"What is going on with her?" Monique asked as she knelt down to scrutinize Ratchet and Squint, eye to eye.  
"She's having trouble walking the line with her character I think," Squint snaps out an answer, not able to hold up under the spy's cool gaze.  
"It's like she's a different person when she gets into character," Ratchet admits. "And it even freaks me the hell out."  
"Hey, it's ready," Randy broke in, redirecting their attention to where the robotic gargoyle and the slave girl were now sitting down across from one another.

As the two assume their position, the almost 2 foot tall Einstein, took up a perch atop their grip. "When I launch, you are go," she tells them.

"Won't that hurt her?" Xanatos questioned.  
"Yeah right," one of the other girls scoffed.  
"Three, Two," Einstein counted down.

When she launched herself after saying one, Xanatos threw everything his armor had into slamming Kaze's arm into the table. While not wanting to hurt the girl, she had asked for it. Needless to say, he was rather shocked when the servos in his armored arm began to wine from stress from TRYING to move her arm. "What in the-" he started to say, yet was cut off when Kaze snapped her arm down. But she didn't stop when his hand hit the table. With a loud "CRUNCH!" she thrust his arm through the table, spinning him out of his chair, and slamming the billionaire to the ground.

"Well done," Jura tells Kaze, taking her hand and guiding her back to her feet.  
"Thank you Mistress," Kaze nodded, a slight smile on her face as she resumes her place slightly behind Jura.  
"Okay, what the hell just happened?" Xanatos blinked as he picked himself up off the floor, several of the girls snickering at him.  
"You lost, and where taken for a ride all at the same time," Elsie informed the man with a giggle.  
"Kaze isn't human," Nick added, trying hard not to snicker. "She is an incredibly advanced robot."  
"Well, that explains everything," David admitted before giving the side of his helm a smack, getting his visual scanners to come back on line.  
"Even with the armor, it wasn't a fair contest," Fox remarked, eyeing Elsie as she silently asked, "Why didn't you say something?"  
"Sometimes one has to learn a lesson by failing," Monique noted in her calm voice.  
"Fox, Dear, I for one don't blame them, I did walk right into that one on my own," Xanatos chuckles while quickly running a diagnostic on his armored arm. "And just out of curiosity, how strong is she?"  
"I don't think we really have any way of gauging her strength, short of asking her to lift things that can't support having all their weight focused onto a single point," Craven informed the gargoyle.  
"Why so serious people? Let's Party!" Randy called out, getting everyone back to the business of having fun, while the Minis rushed to remove the now heap of a table.

"Interesting new additions you have here," Philippe remarked quietly to Monique after Jenifer moved off to visit with her son for a bit.  
"I have been keeping you updated on them," Monique reminds him.  
"So true," he nodded, leading her to a secluded corner before asking. "Have you yet managed to gain access to this hanger without their knowledge?"  
"It is not possible. I was given the same tour as the others, and used the opportunity to place a few "toys" to help me keep track of things down there," She told him, then shook her head. "Not more than ten minutes after we left, she returned them to me… all of them."  
"And you are still on good terms with them?" he blinked, rather surprised.  
"Indeed. They know what I am, and do not hold it against me when I am doing my job. But they politely informed me that they had security covered, and that I was welcome to test it. I have yet to succeed, even with additional assistance," She informed her boss. "They are quite literally impregnable down there, unless they allow you in."  
"Have you contemplated utilizing demolitions charges? Others would not be as "polite" about it as a friend would," he countered.  
"You do not realize what they have done," Monique returns. "While the outer shell of that tank remains steel, the second layer within is far more durable. Trust me when I say even Ginoa cannot force her way in."  
"Interesting…" he murmured, taping his chin in thought. "Would you feel slighted if we where to attempt entry without you?"  
"Non," she answered with a shake of her head. "Because you will not get in. But I warn you, they will not be so polite if they do now know you."  
"I will take that under advisement," he smiled, turning away to wander the party.

"So, are you enjoying the party?" Jura asked when Kaze returned with a cup of punch for her.

"Yes Mistress," her slave answered respectfully, resuming her standing post behind Jura's seat.

"….This isn't any fun anymore….." Jura suddenly snorted after a bit. "Hands," she commanded, causing Kaze to reach forward with her hands together. Griping the shackles in the proper place, Jura waited a moment for them to scan her hands, and unlock. Removing the chains, she then reattaches them to Kaze's arms.

"Are you sure you want to do that Mistress?" Kaze arched an eyebrow, her meek tone disguising her surprise.

Jura locked her glowing eyes on her, answering, "Yes. You will continue to address me as Mistress, otherwise you will resume your normal behavior."

"As you wish Mistress," Kaze smirked, her tone back to normal and a sparkle of mischief back in her eyes.

"That's better," Jura nodded, pretending not to have noticed.

"…..Awe-Crap," Kaze suddenly muttered under her breath.

"What's wrong," the G-Sith girl perked up. "Did I re-do the chains wrong or something?"

"No, the chains are fine…"

"Than what's up?"

"We have uninvited guests," Kaze grumbled, not happy with the info she was picking up from the school's security system.

"Who?" Jura demanded in a hushed tone.

"The news people again," the robot sighed.

"Fuck. Why then, and why now…" the Sith lord groaned out, the dreadful feeling that tonight's festivities were going to be trashed, already sinking in. "Ok, Go inform Dr. Tatopoulos, I'll go meet our unwelcomed guests," Jura ordered, before collecting her cloak from where the Mini's had hung them.

"This is NOT going to earn us any points with the natives," Animal quietly informed Audrey as the pair got out of the news van.

"We have footage of a gigantic robot blasting its way out of one of these old oil tanks, and then returning several hours later," the blond reporter argued, using a librarians' tone. "And when we took the time to come all the way out here to investigate, we were treated like… like…"

"Like unwanted press?" Animal asked.

"Yeah… Hey!" Audrey flinched at her cameraman's words.

"You know, Ten bucks says that Nick and the others have a permit for the thing, and it's all on the up-n-up" Animal tried to joke… however, the look that his partner was suddenly giving him, shut him up.

"I don't care, it probably took a hell of a lot of money to build, and it looked military…" Audrey was now in the zone, there was something fishy going on and she was going to find out what.

"It looked like something out of an old cartoon I used to watch when I was a kid." Animal quipped as he hefted his camera out of the van.

"Whatever," she sighed as she shook her head. "Either way, in spite of what Nicky wants, I'm going to break this story wide open. All of New York has the right to know that besides Ginoa and other monster girls, HEAT is also housing some giant robot at this school of theirs."

"That sounds like an incredibly short sited and self serving point of view."

"Who's there," Animal growled, though not one to care for any kind of confrontation, he was attempting to use his size to frighten off the unseen speaker.

"Just me," the voice announced, tossing its cloak aside as it melted out of the shadows, her tattoos casting her slim figure in a menacing red glow.

"The FUCK are you?" Animal demanded, nearly wetting himself as Audrey cowered behind him.

"Someone who thinks you should be more respectful of what goes on around here. It is private property after all," Jura sneered back, once more getting lost in her Darth Gojuuris persona.

"Yeah? They why are you here?" Audrey challenged, still hiding behind her cameraman.

"Because I live here, and I'm tired of people who think the rules don't apply to them attempting to screw up my life," Jura hissed back as she stalked towards them.

"Are you sure we should be letting her go like this?" Monique asked over the shared comlink frequency Kaze had set up a while back.

"No, but I think a little Halloween scare is in order for that bitch," Elsie huffed, her feeling towards the reporter well known by the others.

"Don't any one freak out if she pulls a weapon, we designed them with the ability to stun," Kaze added quickly, knowing full well what might happen.

"Shall we build the suspense a bit more?" Fox glanced at her cousin, her hunting grin evident in her voice.

"Why not," Nick gave a shrug. "I think being reminded that not everyone cares about press credentials is a good thing."

"Very well, Fox, circle around and climb atop the rubble to Jura's left, I will Circle to the right. Monsieur Xanatos and Kaze will drop down behind them, cutting off their retreat. After they are suitable frightened, the Dr.'s Tatopoulos will come up behind Jura," Monique orders.

"Gee, I hope she doesn't get mad at me for this," Kaze muttered, tapping her choker and transforming from slave girl to super robot.

"Damn, No wonder you cleaned my clock earlier," Xanatos remarked as the pair spread their wings and took off.

"I'd say I was sorry about that, but I'd be lying," she grinned over at him, before her battle mask snapped into place. They reach their positions high above the school's campus and wait for their moment.

"You can't touch us. We are with the press and if we don't make it back… Well, you're going to have more trouble around here than Ginoa can scare off," Audrey warns.

"Do I really look like I'm afraid of trouble?" Jura retorts, her sneer getting wider as she holds her arms out to draw more attention to herself.

"If you don't keep your distance, or I'm…I'm…" Animal stuttered while looking around for a weapon, one that wasn't his camera, thinking quick, he grabbed a piece of re-bar from a nearby pile of junk and held it like a bat. "I'm going to be forced to make you back off."

"I'd like to see you try," Jura purred, reaching behind her back and drawing her weapons. And when she took another challenging step forward, Animal did indeed charge her. Igniting her weapons, she ducked under his first swing, and raked him across the chest with both light blades, dropping him like a bag of cement.

Audrey watched in horrid fascination as the alien woman cut down her friend. Yet as she took a deep breath, her scream was cut off by a blood chilling howl, followed by a real life werewolf bounding into sight atop the rubble. Instantly Monique magically appeared out of the shadows to Jura's other side, the glow from the sabers the only reason any of her dark blue form was visible. With fear strangling her sanity, Audrey turned and tried to bolt, however she was cut off by the arrival of the flyers as they dropped down to cut off her retreat.

With heart racing, the blond turned back, looking for an opening in which to escape, only to find the Godzilla girl has closed the distance, and was now a standing before her. "Please, don't kill me…." Audrey begged, tears dripping down her face.

"This is just sad," Elsie smirked, wanting to laugh at how the snotty blond had been brought down to earth.

"I think it's about time you silenced her," Nick called out as he and Elsie came up behind the morph.

"As you wish Doctor," Jura grinned wickedly, while Audrey was still gaping at Nick. The blond turned her attention back to Jura, just as the girl reached out with the blade and poked the reporter in the shoulder, the stun charge knocking her cold in an instant.

"Kaze, if you and Mr. Xanatos would be so kind as to bring our friends along, I think we should move this to our office," Nick remarked with a tired sigh, after making sure that both the interlopers were just sleeping.

"I am calling in the minis as well. I think we will need to impress on your Ex that things have changed around here, and such behavior will no longer be tolerated," Monique added as the group made their way towards HEAT's main office.

"Got it, you want anyone else?" Ratchet asked, holding her hand to the side of her helm.

"I got it all, and I'm on it," Einstein snapped after Monique signed off. And in short order the minis had collected Philippe, Ms. Cross, and Hicks, while leaving Randy and Craven to oversee the party.

"They should be coming around in a minute or so," Snickers reported after checking Audrey's vitals again. Once she was sure the intruders were alright, she moved back toward the door where the other minis were standing, weapons in hand, and looking as intimidating as miniature k-girls in Mandalorian styled combat armor could. As for the reporter and her cameraman, they now sat back to back in the middle of Nick's office surrounded by an odd assortment of horror movie and sitcom characters.

"This is going to be fun," Elsie happily grinned from her perch on Nick's desk, rubbing her hands together like some cartoon crime boss who had just captured his goody-two-shoes nemesis.

"Hey! Try not to enjoy it too much," her husband retorted from his seat behind her as he gently poked her swelling belly with a finger. "I don't want you corrupting the baby until after he/she is born."

"How do you want me? Robot or armed slave girl?" Kaze asked as she moved over to her lover's side.

"Stay as you are. They may recognize your human appearance, so this will be better for now," Monique ordered, cutting off Jura's attempt to get Kaze back into her costume. "I do not ask this lightly, but are you able to make them think you will eat them?" she then asked of Fox.

"I don't know, I've never tried that kind of acting in this thing," the wolf admitted. "Let's find out."

"You know," Fox giggled to David over their privet radio. "I think I'm starting to like this Monique." With that said, she dropped to all fours, and began padding around the pair of captives, maintaining a rumbling growl the whole time. Audrey was the first to come around, letting out a little "eep" of fright when she gets her first good look at the werewolf snarling back at her.

"You should wake Animal, so we don't need to repeat ourselves," Elsie smiled sweetly.

Without taking her eyes off of Fox, Audrey fumbled around behind her until she touched her camera man, and rapidly began to shake him.

"I'm up, I'm up," he mutters, bringing a hand up to rub the sleep from his eyes. When he lowered his hands, he was greeted by a view of Kaze and Xanatos glowering down at him.

Although, in the billionaire's defense, it WAS the only expression his mask had.

"Okay, how much trouble are we in? And not that I'm complaining, but why ain't we dead?" he asked.

"You're not dead, because you have proven useful in the past, and may be so again," Philippe began, as Fox suddenly stood up to her full 9 foot height, continuing to growl the whole time.

"Although I do have to wonder how long you will remain employed if we decide to press charges," Jenifer added from her place on the couch.

"And do not even attempt to play the press immunity card. While you have been taken into our confidence in the past, you have been abusing it of late," Monique rounded out the threat.

"In short, you've been burning your bridges, before you cross them, tactically that's never a very intelligent thing to do," Hicks said in his best grumpy voice, his tone completely at odds with his costume.

"What the…" Audrey blinked as she glanced around the room, once she'd realized where she was, she turned on Nick. "Nicky, where have you been getting all the weird stuff lately? Monsters and monster girls are one thing, but you guys have never been into robots before," Audrey stated, switching instantly from scared shitless, to investigative reporter.

"First, stop calling him that," Elsie broke in before Nick could say anything. "You lost that right to me a long time ago."

"And secondly, " Nick crossed his arms as he shot his Ex a cold stare. "It's really none of your, or anyone else's business what goes on out here. And since issue 143 passed, everything from the front gates to 300 yards off the wharf's shore is now considered a privet commonwealth, separate from Staten Island and New York…"

"So basically the city officials told us that because of Ginoa, that they will have nothing to do with us," Ms. Cross clarified. "They gave up their rights to be kept in the loop, for a healthy dose of plausible deniability."

"Of course, that also leaves us financially responsible, should any of the girls go ballistic and destroy something outside the gates…" Jennifer whispered to herself.

"It is now up to us to police and monitor what goes on here at HEAT and the Academy, for the state authorities will have nothing to do with us." Monique said, allowing a slight smirk to adorn her lips. "In other words, I can now deal with trespassers and interlopers as I see fit."

"We could always just knock them out again and leave them at a random location in the city," Jura spoke up, glowering at the pair.

"We will keep all options in reserve," Nick nodded to acknowledge the suggestion.

"And decide which punishment to deal out after." Elsie finished.

"Okay, I would like to go on record as saying I was against both of the field-trips out here," Animal muttered quickly, earning a sideways glare from Audrey.

"I always thought you where the one with more common sense," Monique said to the cameraman.

"Why have you been trying to sneak in anyway?" Elsie demanded.

"Oh please," Audrey retorts. "Giant robots landing and taking off, and you are keeping quiet on the subject? What else was I supposed to do?"

"Strange, I don't recall any requests for information on that particular subject," Nick blinked as he made a show of going through the "IN" box on his desk. "Given our past relationship in regards to large secrets, we might have been able to reach an agreement."

"And now?" the blond asked, knowing from his tone that Nick was still royally pissed.

"What Charges can we file against Ms. Timmonds?" Monique asked of the team's legal rep. "Litigation is ridiculous in this country, but it occasionally has its uses.

"Well, for starters, there is trespassing on privet land, vandalism for whatever security devices they may have circumvented or broken in the process," Jenifer began, ticking off points on her fingers. "Reckless endangerment, given that some of our more sensitive information getting out, would make this place an even bigger target than it is already. And that's just off the top of my head. Let me get back to the office and I can probably find another dozen or more."

"You can't make those stick, and you know it," Audrey barked, calling what she sees as a bluff.

"Oh I think I can," Jenifer purred, inspecting her nails. "I'm a VERY good lawyer, and I have several friends in the right places."

"Alternatively, we could always break in somewhere sensitive, and leave them to be found," Philippe remarked with a negligent shrug. "I know we would leave no evidence, and their word pointing at us would be seen as a ridiculous fabrication."

"I might even know of a few places that could use a security shake up of that sort," Hicks grinned, always happy to cause as much trouble for the press as they do for him.

Audrey was about to say something when Fox snarls at her, making her scoot back in fright.

"However," Elsie sighs, her sharp eyes dancing between Fox and the reporter. "IF you can restrain your impulses and return to our previous agreement, I might be persuaded to see if I could get you an interview that would make you the favorite golden girl of your boss once more."

"Really," Audrey asked, seeing a way out that didn't involve cops or Monique. "Who did you have in mind?"

"I promise nothing, but I will ASK if the Xanatos' will give you that interview you've been wanting," Elsie tells her, eyeing the both of them as she makes the statement.

"And all I have to do is drop the giant robot story," Audrey asked skeptically.

"Simple, no?" Monique shot back.

"One thing," Audrey retorts, annoyed and frightened as always by Monique. "I want to meet the new security girl, the one with the superman act."

This earned a few grins, since Kaze rather enjoyed sharing the tale of what she had done to the pair and their van. "I'll go get her," Kaze spoke up, altering her voice a bit deeper than normal, before turning toward the door, the minis making room for her. This left everyone else trading confused looks that Audrey missed since she was too busy watching Kaze leave.

"I don't see why we are playing nice with them. They keep trying to sneak in here and expose our private matters to the world. Let's just get rid of them," Jura muttered darkly to herself.

"You can always leave and go back to the party if you'd prefer," Elsie looked to her, concern showing.

"Not without Kaze," the G-girl shook her head.

"Who is Kaze?" Audrey butted in.

"That would be me," the cyber-doll answered from the door, now back in her slave girl costume, and looking really annoyed at the pair. "If you all don't mind, I'd like to take my girlfriend back to the party now," she added, moving over and offering her hand to Jura.

"Not so fast. I want to know how you managed to do that flying thing with our van," Audrey barked out, glaring at the slave.

As a response, Kaze just reached down and took hold of the chair that the reporter was sitting on by one leg, and hefted Audrey up over her head with surprising ease. "I don't have to tell you jack, and to be brutally honest, I'd LOVE nothing more than to shot-put you across the river. So mind your own business," the bot snarled up at the blond's shocked face, before depositing her on the ground and turning back to Jura.

"You've heard the offer, take it or leave it," Jura growled at the pair, moving past Kaze.

"Jura," Elsie trailed off as the Godzilla girl drew her weapons and activated them, pointing one at each of the reporters.

"I'm waiting," she warned, releasing the energy blades, and crossing her arms while said blades float in mid air, scaring the hell out of everyone else.

"I'll take it!" Audrey quickly yelped when the blades twitched a bit closer.

"Glad to hear it," Nick nodded with relief.

"Good night," Jura sneered, stunning the pair back into unconsciousness.

"The rest of you may return to the party," Monique informed the others, catching Jura's attention and signaling that she and Kaze were to stay behind. "We will put them back in their van and see them off."

"Make sure Audrey remembers that this REALLY did happen," Nick directs.

"You can count on it," Monique gave a curt nod while Jura and Kaze each slung one of the sleepers over their shoulders.

"What do you have in mind for their reminder?" Kaze asked Monique, tilting her head in wonder.

"That is none of your concern. You simply need to put them back into their vehicle. I will take care of matters after that," the spy replied.

"Okay, you're the security boss," Kaze returned, getting the feeling that the reporters were not the only thing bothering the French woman.

"Kaze, after this, I think I want to go home, instead of the party," Jura said with a tired sigh. "My head is swimming."

"I suggest you get cleaned up and back to normal as quickly as possible then," Monique eyed the Sith lord. "Sometimes make-up and body paints can cause allergic reactions that have nothing to do with what they are supposed to do.

"Except she doesn't have allergic reactions," Kaze whispered back to the spy.

"Of this I am aware," Monique returned coolly.

"Then?" Kaze asked the same way, confused.

"I think it would be best if Jura refrained from acting. She gets lost in her role too easily," Monique replied.

"Alright, I'll keep her acting like herself then," Kaze nodded at her as they arrive at the van.

"Just put them into the back, then you two can return home," Monique tells them, opening the doors.

Jura was about to ask what Monique was going to do, yet Kaze waves a hand, getting her attention and shaking her head. Leading the G-girl away, she whispers, "Sometimes you're better off not knowing, Mistress."

Once the pair were safely back in their quarters beneath the mech hanger, Jura's demeanor changed yet again, as she once more fell under the spell of her new persona.

"You should probably take a shower, and wash all that stuff off," Kaze says over her shoulder as she turns toward the room she had set up her makeup kit in.

"Hands together on the floor, and spread your legs," Jura orders.

Kaze's body follows the command even before she realizes what is happening.

"Um, Mistress, what the slagging hell are you up to?" Kaze demands, her ass high in the air as her palms are nearly glued to the floor buy Jura's order.

"Such rude behavior. Slaves really should be more respectful," she purrs in the redheads ear, as she runs her hands over Kaze's body.

"Mistress, I thought your head was bothering you?" Kaze asks, a small moan escaping near the end.

"Hardly. That was just an excuse to leave the others and get down to business," Jura sneers, but Kaze can't see it from the angle she's been put in.

"Mistress, you don't sound like yourself," Kaze tells her.

"And it sounds to me like the slave needs a lesson in her place," Jura snarls, wrapping her hand in Kaze's braid, and giving it a yank, pulling her upright, before forcing her into a bit of a crouch. "Let's go," she growls, guiding Kaze ahead of her with her grip in the robots hair.

"Mistress-" Kaze begins, but is cut off as Jura shoves her toward the bed.

"Stay," Jura orders once she sprawls across it.

"Mistre-" Kaze tries again.

"Silence," Jura cuts her off again, leaving the room. Returning after several minutes, she orders, "Of the bed, hands at your sides."

Unable to do anything but obey, Kaze does as instructed, while looking over the pile of objects Jura brought back with her.

"You are not the only one who can use the fabricator," she smirks, when she catches Kaze inspecting her selection of objects.

Kaze does her best to let Jura know that she wants to speak.

"Have something to say do you?" Jura asks, smiling up at her.

When Kaze nods, Jura stands up from where she was sorting objects, and moves behind her.

"Open your mouth," she orders, and then stuffs a ballgag in and fastens it when Kaze complies. "Permission granted, speak your mind," Jura grins, moving back around in front of the redhead.

"MMmmmmffff!" Kaze yells into the gag.

"Weapons offline until further notice," Jura orders. "Strength down to one percent of normal capacity," she continues, her predatory smile getting wider as Kaze's eyes widen in shock at what she is doing to her. "Erotic sensitivity up to ninety eight percent of maximum."

"Mmmm-mmmm-mmm," Kaze groans, the reprogramming rendering her weaker than a normal human of her proportions, and so sensitive that even a slight breeze enflames her senses.

"Enjoying that, are you?" Jura smirks, again moving behind Kaze. She breathes lightly across the back of Kaze's neck, the other girl throwing her head back in reaction, another groan escaping from the gag. Working quickly, Jura locks Kaze's wrists together with a small padlock, hands pointed at opposite elbows, and takes the opportunity to strip her of her top in the process.

"For me?" the G-girl asks, eyeing the erect nipples of her lover.

Kaze's goan is long and deep as Jura reaches out and plays with her breasts for a few moments, a look of abject disappointment on her face when she pulls her hands away.

"Such a greedy slave," Jura says, shaking her head. Bending down, she retrieves a metal bar, and kneels in front of Kaze. Locking the shackle around one ankle, she forces her legs apart, and attaches the other end of the spreader bar.

"You won't be needing this," she smirks, reaching past the sheer material as she stands back up, slipping her fingers around Kaze's thong, and snapping the cords with a quick tug.

Kaze nearly screams as the action sends shockwaves through her body.

"Hmm…I don't recall giving you permission to orgasm. Naughty slave doing things without permission," Jura tells her, running her hands up and down Kaze's body, making the cyberdoll writhe at the sensations. "You are no longer allowed to orgasm without permission," Jura whispers in her ear. "And you will remain at whatever level of arousal you are at until you orgasm. You will also orgasm on command, slave."

Kaze shudders as the new commands take hold in her, Jura moving away, leaving her still feeling as if Jura where still teasing her now hyper sensitive body.

Stepping back, Jura takes a few moments to watch the show, enjoying watching Kaze squirm as she is assaulted by her new settings. Stripping off what few bits of cloth make up her own costume, Jura collects another item from her rapidly dwindling pile, and dons it herself.

With a gasp of her own, she buckles it into place, then moves behind Kaze once more.

"You're going to enjoy this pet," Jura tells her, before she forces her to bend at the waist. Then she reaches down and guides the strap-on she is wearing into Kaze's more than ready opening.

"Now I need a handle," she purrs leaning over and mashing her own breasts against Kaze's back. "Ah, that will work perfectly," she continues, slipping her hands around Kaze and inside her arms, trapping the cyberdoll's arms between them as she once more grabs hold of her breasts.

As Jura begins pumping the plastic phallus between them, Kaze picks up the rhythm and pushes back into her, heightening Jura's pleasure and spiking her own ever higher.

Jura continues in this fashion for several minutes, before roaring and pulling the both of them over backward onto the bed. Not releasing her grip, she orders, "Bounce, bitch."

Unable to do anything else, Kaze does her best to continue the motions from before, throwing her weight around to work the strap-on between them, since the spreader bar as seen to it that she can't reach the floor for leverage from this position.

Her efforts please Jura, her markings and eyes glowing ever brighter as her rising pleasure corresponds to an increase in released radiation.

"Faster!" Jura moans, her hands working on Kaze's breasts as they both thrust against each other, until Jura screams her release. Kaze can only continue her own torture, still bucking in Jura's lap as the Goji-girl releases her grip on her chest.

"Cum for me," Jura gasps.

Kaze snaps upright as her orgasm rips through her, before she falls back, laying across Jura.

After a few moments to recover, Jura pushes Kaze back into a sitting position, before lifting her off the strap-on, and laying her down next to her.

"Well done pet. As your reward, you won't have to wait for permission for this orgasm," Jura tells her, before hiking the other girls hips up over her own, and thrusting the plastic phallus back into her lover.

With everything Jura has already done to her, Kaze doesn't last long, her body whipping back and forth as the force of her bodies reactions rip through her.

"Well, that was fun," Jura grins as awareness returns to Kaze's face.

"Mph. Mmmnmmn, Mmmphm," Kaze attempts to tell her.

"Still, talking back, how disrespectful," Jura scowls. Pulling out of the bound girl with a slurping noise, Jura flips her over onto her face. "Won't be long," she whispers, before climbing off the bed.

Kaze is surprised to feel the shackles on her wrists release, and wastes no time in pushing herself up on to all fours.

"Ah, ah," Jura says, slipping some leather around her neck and upper chest, before delivering a vicious swat to Kaze's rear, which knocks her on her face once more. Grabbing the redheads arms, Jura pulls the leather around them, before zipping it up along its length, from wrist to neck. "I picked black, just for you," Jura tells her, rubbing her hands along the other girls single glove encased arms. Reaching up to her neck, she closes a Velcro flap over the zipper pull, to ensure it can't work its way back down.

"Mmmph!" Kaze tries again to get Jura to listen to her, before her traitorous body can overwhelm her again.

"And still, you talk back. Time for some more discipline I see," Jura remarks, giving Kaze's ass another smack before climbing off the bed again.

Kaze squeaks in surprise as Jura shoves a anal plug into her, before roughly flipping her onto her back. "Hold this," she quips, as she inserts a large vibrator into the bound girl. "Oh, I'm not done yet," Jura assures her, as she pulls the cord attached to the tip of the single glove out from under Kaze, and threads it through the ring hanging at Kaze's throat. "It's amazing what the fabricator can do. I only found a single artistic image of this, but it was able to create it for you from that. Now stand up," she orders, pulling on the cord and drawing it tight against the objects jammed into her lower openings, drawing another groan from the bound girl.

Once she is upright, Jura attaches clamps to her nipples, and then hangs little weights off them. "I wonder how you would look with them pierced?" Jura wonders aloud, before flicking them with her fingers, making them swing, and tugging on Kaze's nipples.

Picking up the control for the vibrator, Jura flicks the power switch on, causing an instant reaction with Kaze as she arches her back, which causes the weights on the breasts to swing, creating a chain reaction of sensations.

"Now to kick it up a notch," Jura grins evilly, before cranking the speed control to the max.

Kaze whipsaws back and forth from the shock, while Jura enjoys the show. "One last thing," Jura grins evilly, moving toward the tormented cyberdoll.

Sexual moans tease Jura's senses until she finally awakes with a groan, complaining, "Kaze, no hentai anime until after I'm up," before she buries her head under a pillow.

When the noises continue without let up, Jura throws the pillow and sits up, her eyes flashing as she prepares to read Kaze the riot act.

Only to stop and drop her jaw in shock when she sees her at the foot of the bed.

Arms still trapped in a single glove, legs trapped by a spreader bar that has her feet dangling free of the bed, her extra long braid tied around the bedpost behind her, holding her mostly upright as she writhes in her bonds. Belatedly, Jura notices a quite humming noise, and looks toward her lovers crotch.

"Kaze!" she squeaks, before scrambling over to her and beginning to release her, starting with her hair.

Every touch against Kaze's flesh causes the cyberdoll to thrash all the more, until she is finally free, and Jura removes the gag from her mouth.

Her hands now roaming across her body, she groans and moans in frustration, gasping out only two words over and over.

Release, and Restore.

"C'mon Kaze, I need more than that, tell me what to do!" Jura whispers as she cradles the cyberdolls head in her lap.

Thankfully for the redhead, Jura's first word is close enough to the needed command that it triggers the release she has been in need of since before Jura fell asleep.

It takes more than ten minutes of orgasmic cries and thrashing before Kaze settles down and goes offline from what she has been through during the night.

"Kaze!" Jura yells when she goes limp. Thinking quickly, Jura snaps out, "Override! Wake up!"

"Yes Mistress," Kaze answers, as her eyes snap open again.

"What happened to you? How did you end up like that?" Jura asks, hugging the synthetic girl from behind.

"Hmmm, you….Mistress," Kaze groans, her body still set to be easily stimulated. Attempting to get the details out before she is lost again, she rushes on, "Altered settings, and installed commands, mmmm, no orgasm without, oooh, command, aaah, weapons offline."

Everything else is lost to her moans of frustration as the skin to skin contact takes her back to the peak, and Jura's commands from the night before keep her there.

"I did this?' Jura asks in horrified wonder, shocked that she doesn't remember any of it. Now she realizes, she doesn't remember much of anything after going out to confront the reporters.

"Wait, she said I altered settings…Restore…Kaze, restore all settings to default!" Jura orders.

"Thank you!" she screams as her latest orgasm washes over her.

"I'm sorry," Jura whispers to her, hugging her tightly until she stops shaking.

"Mistress, I love you, but if you EVER leave me like that again, I am going to zap you with the fire blaster," Kaze groans, even her systems taxed by what she's been through all night.

"Why are you calling me Mistress?" Jura asks, looking at the redhead oddly.

"Because you are still in costume?" Kaze shoots back, her tone clearly saying "D'uh!".

"Oh. I hadn't noticed," Jura admits, looking at her arm, and the glowing red marks that twist their way up it, and around the rest of her body.

"Mistress, we need to clean ourselves up, then we can talk about this," Kaze tells her, forcing herself free of Jura's embrace.

"Where is that special soap for removing the paint?" Jura asks, following Kaze into the bathroom.

"Already in the shower waiting for you," Kaze answers, turning the tap on, and holding her hand under the stream until it hits the temperature Jura likes.

"And the case for the contacts?" she asks, looking toward the sink.

"On the little shelf with the toothbrushes," Kaze answers, pulling the lever that send the water up to the shower head, before closing the door. She then removes the hair ornaments, and rapidly unbraids her huge mane of hair. "I DO get to go back to my normal hair length, right?" she demands.

"But you look good with it that long," Jura tries to joke, but the scowl the redhead returns puts a quick end to it. "Yes. You know I don't like forcing you into things you dislike," she tells her, her honey brown eyes reappearing now that the glowing contacts have been removed.

"Let's get the rest of your costume off you, so I can believe that," Kaze retorts, her voice more than slightly hostile.

Stepping into the shower ahead of the robot, Jura decides to come clean, while she is coming clean.

"Kaze, you probably won't believe this, but I don't remember anything from last night after I went outside to confront the reporters…." she trails off, waiting for her lovers reaction.

"So you don't remember going Sith Lord on the reporters, and scaring the crap out of everyone with your levitating lightsaber trick?" she snorts, clearly not believing it.

"I did WHAT?" she yelps, jerking her head out from under Kazes fingers as the taller girl washes the glowing dust and hair gel mix out of her neon blue hair.

Staring at Jura's shocked face, Kaze realizes she isn't kidding around.

"You honestly don't remember?" she asks, shaken herself by this revelation.

"No. The last thing I remember is…." She trails off as she reconstructs the nights events up to where she blanks. "Is telling the reporter something like she was being a self serving bitch, the n revealing myself to them. After that…..I woke up to you trussed up like a XXX rated Christmas present."

"Alright, this is what happened after that," Kaze tells her, going back to scrubbing the G-girl down as she recaps everything that happened between the reporters and the staff.

"I can't believe I was actually behaving like that," Jura whispers as Kaze maneuvers around her, and gently pushes her back so she is directly under the shower stream.

"You can ask the others, but I think it will scare them even more than it does me that you can't remember doing it,' Kaze tells her frankly, as she begins soaping up Jura to remove the body paint tattoos across her front.

"What is wrong with me? Is this the first time I've blacked out, or has it happened before?" she wonders, her voice shaking in fear of the unknown answers.

"I don't know babe, but you need to hear the rest of it," Kaze tells her, as the shower washes the last lingering traces of Darth Gojuurus down the drain.

"There is more?" Jura demands, aghast.

"You didn't do that to me in front of the others, thats for damn sure," Kaze retorts, before recounting Jura's behavior after their return to their underground home.

"The only thing I remember about any of that is finding that picture that I apparently used to make that sleeve for you," Jura admits, more horrified by the moment of how she was acting.

"Well pointy ears, it came as more than a bit of a shock to me too," Kaze smirks at her, trying to lighten the gloom the situation has cast over the dark skinned anthromorph.

"And it's never going to happen again," Jura states coldly, her depression giving way to anger, mostly directed at herself.

"Babe?" Kaze asks, the abrupt mood shift making her wonder.

"After you get your hair back to normal, I want you to gather up everything from our costumes, including the lightsabers, and lock them up. I don't want to even see that stuff again if there is even a chance of me becoming the person you've been telling me about again," Jura tells her.

"Glad to have you back," Kaze smiles, tipping the other girls head back for a kiss.

"Glad to be back," Jura grins, eagerly giving in to the kiss. After she comes back up for air, she asks, "Did my last command reset everything, or are some of the extra commands still lingering in your head?"

"Weapons, strength, and sensitivity are all back to default, so I'll have to tweak them a bit to get them back to where we both liked them," Kaze tells her.

With a mischievous grin, Jura says, "Cum for me."

"You!" Kaze moans, as he knees buckle and Jura has to catch her. "That was a cheap shot," she pouts afterward.

"So that one is still in there. I'll have to make sure to watch what I say around you from now on," Jura grins at her, as they shut down the shower and dry each other off.

"And on that note, you should probably apologize to the H.E.A.T. gang for your behavior," Kaze tells her. "The reporters on the other hand can kiss my shiny silver ass."

"Not right now it isn't," Jura grins, giving said flesh toned ass a light swat with her hand as the pair leave the bathroom to get dressed.

"You need to get to work in the lab," Kaze reminds her. "I've already let John and the S.F.L. know that I'm going to be running late while I get my hair back to normal."

"I have heard you call Monique that several times, but what does it mean?" Jura asks, reaching for a pair of jeans after putting her underwear on.

"Well, she can be a very Scary French Lady, when she wants to be," Kaze smirks, pulling on a sports bra and panties before heading over to get her hair trimmed back to normal.

"Cute," Jura grins at her retreating back, before pulling on her top, and collecting various items.

"So what are you going to tell them?" Kaze calls back.

"You have told me enough that I can fake it," Jura tells her. "I….I want to keep this between us for now. If it happens again, I want you to tell Zoe. I trust her to know what to do."

"Alright. I think you should come clean about it, but I'm willing to go along for now. If you have another episode like that though, all bets are off," Kaze returns.

"Fair enough," Jura agrees, Kaze's restored trust brightening her mood. "So what are your next projects going to be, since you don't have Halloween costumes to fuss over anymore?"

"I'm going to build a car," she calls back. "It's going to be a present to John and Ginoa for Christmas."

"O…kay…." Jura says as she leaves, not sure how to respond to that.

To be continued….


End file.
